A married couple from the Bronx were charged last week for allegedly stealing mail from post office boxes on Long Island.
Yoli Gomez Osoria, 27, and Andrea Rose Gomez, 28, were arraigned on Jan. 23 on charges of criminal possession of a forged instrument, criminal possession of stolen property, attempted petit larceny and possession of burglar tools. They were released on their own recognizance and ordered to return to court on Feb. 14.
If convicted, the pair face a maximum of five to 15 years in prison.
“These defendants allegedly tried to swipe outgoing mail on Christmas morning by dangling a glue-coated bottle in a mailbox,” said Nassau County DA Madeline Singas said. “Quick action by an NCPD officer caught these alleged thieves in the act, and our prosecutors will hold them accountable.”
According to charges, on Dec. 25, 2019, a Nassau County Police Department patrol officer, while on routine rounds, allegedly saw Osoria standing in front of mailboxes outside of the Atlantic Beach Post Office, with both hands inside one of the boxes. When Osoria saw the officer, he allegedly threw a plastic bottle over the fence and fled the scene.
The bottle was recovered by police, and it allegedly was filled with an unknown liquid and coated with a sticky substance on the outside, with a white string attached.
After a brief chase, the officer caught Osoria, who was near his car that his wife, Gomez, was sitting allegedly in with the passenger door open. Officers allegedly found a brown paper bag containing 35 $100 bills, one $50 bill, and a $100 check, which neither defendant was the payee nor the account holder of, behind a loose panel in the center console of the car. The 36 bills were later determined to be forged.
Osoria and GOmez were then arrested, and during the arrest process, officers allegedly found an additional check in Osoria’s possession, which neither defendant was the payee or the account holder of.
Police also allegedly found seven sealed envelopes, covered in the same sticky substance as the plastic bottle inside Gomez’s purse. Further investigation allegedly found that the envelopes and checks to be stolen. One of the envelopes contained a $2,800 check.
During a later search of the vehicle, officers allegedly found a glue mouse trap, believed to be of the same consistency as what was found on the bottle.
In total, the Nassau Count DA’s office believes five people were victimized by the defendants.
“Postal Inspectors give their thanks to NCPD and DA Singas and her staff for being on the lookout for criminals who steal from our nation’s mail system. Their dedication to an American tradition and our efforts to keep the mail safe is an example of great collaboration between law enforcement,” said Inspector in Charge Philip R. Bartlett.
