(WHAM) – A woman and two men are accused of kidnapping a U.S. Postal Service mail carrier and threatening to kill her and her children, according to federal prosecutors.

Mark Rogers, 36, Joseph Way, 34, and Tashara Levans, 35, are charged with kidnapping the mail carrier on November 16, 2019, and driving her around in an SUV for 2 1/2 hours. The three believed that she had stolen a package from them that contained $70,000, according to federal court documents.

Prosecutors said the kidnapping happened on November 16, 2019. If convicted, all three suspects face a maximum of life in prison.

The United States Postal Inspection Service worked with the Rochester Police Department to prosecute this case. read full story

 

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that a federal grand jury has returned a one-count indictment charging Mark Rogers, 36, Joseph Way, a/k/a Gus, 34, and Tashara Levans, 35, all of Rochester, NY, with kidnapping of a federal employee. The charge carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert A. Marangola, who is handling the case, stated that the indictment alleges that Rogers, Way, and Levans kidnapped a U.S. Postal Service employee in the City of Rochester on November 16, 2019.

The defendants were arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark W. Pedersen and are being held pending detention hearings.

The indictment is the result of an investigation by the United States Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Inspector-in-Charge Joseph W. Cronin of the Boston Division, and the Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief La’Ron Singletary.

The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.