South Hero Man Charged with Mail Theft, Attempted Mail Theft, and Possession of Stolen Mail

Rutland, Vermont – The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that on March 12, 2026 a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Kevin Manning, 42, of South Hero, Vermont, with three counts of mail theft/attempted mail theft, and one count of possession of stolen mail.

On March 26, 2026, Manning entered a plea of not guilty to the charges during an arraignment before United States District Judge Mary Kay Lanthier. Chief United States District Judge Christina Reiss had previously ordered Manning be detained during the pendency of this matter.

According to court records, the case arises out of an investigation into theft of mail from porches and mailboxes in and around Grand Isle County, Vermont. In mid-November 2025, residents of Grand Isle County began reporting to the Sheriff’s Office that packages that had been shipped to them never arrived, or packages that were shipped to them had been reported delivered, but when the recipients went to retrieve the packages from their porches or mailboxes, the packages were not there. On December 24, 2025, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Manning’s residence and recovered multiple items that had been contained in the stolen mail packages. Over an approximate three-month period from November of 2025 to February of 2026, it is alleged that Manning stole hundreds of mailed and shipped items worth thousands of dollars.

The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that an indictment contains allegations only and that Manning is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. If convicted, Manning faces up to 5 years of incarceration on each of the four counts with which he is charged. The actual sentence, however, would be determined by the District Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors.

First Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt commended the investigatory efforts of the Grand Isle Sheriff’s Office and the United States Postal Inspection Service.

The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Katherine Flynn. Manning is represented by Federal Public Defender Alejandro Fernandez.