Breaux Bridge man pleads guilty to possessing mail stolen from Lafayette and St. Martin parishes

ALEXANDRIA, La. – United States Attorney David C. Joseph announced that a Breaux Bridge man pleaded guilty Thursday to possessing stolen mail from Lafayette and St. Martin parish addresses.

Kyle Joseph Collette, 35, of Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Dee D. Drell to one count of possession of stolen mail. According to the guilty plea, the St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office was contacted on February 19, 2016 about an unrelated matter and learned about items being kept at a Lafayette storage unit. They searched the unit the next day with assistance of the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office and found numerous items, some of which had been reported stolen, and several articles of mail belonging to St. Martin Parish addresses. St. Martin Parish authorities then learned of a room at a Lafayette motel where additional items were being kept. Law enforcement agents searched the motel room and found additional stolen items including mail from Lafayette and St. Martin parish addresses.  The investigation confirmed that the mail had been removed from mailboxes in Lafayette Parish and St. Martin Parish.

Collette faces up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. The court set sentencing for January 2, 2019.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office, and Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. Ayo is prosecuting the case.