WICHITA, KAN. – A grand jury Thursday returned a federal indictment charging a mail carrier in Sheridan County with stealing mail, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said.

James N. Stephenson, 25, Hoxie, Kan., is charged with one count of theft by a postal employee, one count of unlawful possession of 15 or more stolen gift cards and debit cards, and one count of aggravated identity theft. The crimes are alleged to have occurred from August 2016 to January 2017 in Sheridan County, Kan.

The indictment alleges Stephenson stole the cards from the mail while he worked for the Post Office in Hoxie. If convicted, he faces up to five years in federal prison, and a $250,000 fine on the theft charge, 10 years and a fine up to $250,000 on possession of the stolen cards, and a mandatory two years (consecutive) on the identity theft charge. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service – Office of Inspector General investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.

Davonte Chaney, 24, Lawrence, Kan., is charged with five counts of hiding and delaying mail while he was employed by the U.S. Postal Service and assigned to Rural Route 21 in Lawrence, Kan. The crimes are alleged to have occurred in May and June 2016 in Douglas County, Kan.

If convicted, he faces up to five years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on each count. The U.S. Postal Service – Office of Inspector General investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Leon Patton is prosecuting.