DuPage County postal carrier stole 117 checks worth $40K, left bins of undelivered mail in woods: prosecutors
Keevon Dockery
DuPAGE COUNTY, Ill. - Bond has been set for a DuPage County postal carrier who allegedly stole 117 checks intended for others on his mail route.
Keevon Dockery, 22, has been charged with five counts of identity theft and one count of aggravated identity theft.
On Oct. 20, an Elmhurst police officer was dispatched to a local business for a report of check fraud involving five checks sent by the business to clients that were fraudulently deposited, prosecutors said.
While investigating, detectives determined Dockery was the suspect.
While conducting surveillance Monday, authorities allegedly observed Dockery's mail truck leave its route and park near a wooded area.
Dockery then allegedly left the mail truck and walked into the wooded area, where he left three mail bins of undelivered mail.
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Authorities continued surveillance on Dockery and detained him as he was returning to his personal vehicle following his shift, prosecutors said.
When Dockery was detained, he was allegedly in possession of 14 checks — totaling about $20,000 intended for businesses and residents on his mail route.
After investigating further, detectives determined that Dockery had allegedly stolen 117 checks totaling about $40,000 from businesses and residents on his route.
"It is alleged that Mr. Dockery betrayed the public’s trust and stole mail from postal customers," said DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin. "I want to stress however, that the alleged actions of one rogue postal carrier is in no way indicative of the hard-working men and women of the U.S. Postal Service who perform their duties with integrity and professionalism day in and day out."
A judge set bond at $100,000 for Dockery.
His next court appearance is scheduled for Dec. 7.