PITTSBURGH- Two Allegheny County residents have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of conspiracy and mail theft, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

The four-count indictment, returned on July 31, named Christopher Eric Carr, 45, of Munhall, Pa., and Ron Matthew Sharp, 42, of Duquesne, Pa., as defendants.

According to the indictment, from February through May of 2018, Carr and Sharp entered multiple apartment buildings in the Shadyside and North Oakland areas of Pittsburgh and opened United States Postal Service packages or other mail items that were not addressed to them, stole packages, and stole items from within packages that had been left at authorized mail depositories. Defendants then provided items they had stolen from the mail, including gift cards, to others, who redeemed the gift cards at various locations, including Giant Eagle and GetGo. Defendants also re-sold, and instructed others to attempt to re-sell, items defendants had stolen from the mail.

The law provides for a maximum total sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of $1,000,000 or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Assistant United States Attorney Christy C. Wiegand is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The United States Postal Inspection Service and the United States Department of Homeland Security conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.

An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.