Updated December 4, 2014– GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) — A Gulfport father and son have been sentenced for stealing aluminum carts from the U.S. Postal Service and selling them as scrap.
Federal prosecutors say 51-year-old John Wendell Boyles was sentenced Monday to 57 months imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release.
They say 24-year-old Nicholas Alan Boyles was sentenced to 40 months imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release.
They were ordered to pay restitution of $2.7 million.
Updated September 8 2014: The Biloxi Sun-Herald reports that the father and son indicted on charge of conspiracy to steal USPS equipment have pled guilty :
GULFPORT — A Gulfport father and son have admitted stealing aluminum carts from the U.S. Postal Service and selling them as scrap for a period of two years.
John Wendell Boyles, 51, and Nicholas Alan Boyles, 24, each face maximum penalties of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
U.S. District Judge Sul Ozerden will sentence them Dec. 1.
Mississippi father and son indicted for stealing USPS equipment
Gulfport, Miss – John Wendell Boyles, 51, of Gulfport, and his son, Nicholas Alan Boyles, 24, also of Gulfport, were arraigned in federal court on May 15th pursuant to an indictment charging them with conspiracy to convert Postal Service property to their own use and unlawfully sell the property over a two-year period, announced U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Davis, and Inspector-in-Charge Robert B. Wemyss, of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
The indictment alleges that, from approximately February, 2011, to February, 2013, John Wendell Boyles and Nicholas Boyles devised a scheme to convert Postal Service equipment to their own use and sell the equipment for scrap metal. As a part of their scheme, the Boyles stole Over-The-Road (OTR) Containers, which are made primarily of aluminum, cut them apart and sold the pieces as scrap. OTR containers are used by the Postal Service to organize and carry mail on freight trucks between Post Offices and Postal Distribution Centers.
In addition to the conspiracy charges, John Wendell Boyles is charged with 10 counts of unlawfully selling Postal Service property from approximately February, 2011, to March, 2012, and Nicholas Alan Boyles is charged with 11 counts of unlawfully selling Postal Service property from approximately June, 2011, to February, 2013.
This case is scheduled for trial before U.S. District Judge Sul Ozerden on July 7, 2014. The maximum penalty for conspiracy is five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine on each count followed by three years of supervised release. The maximum penalty for theft of government property is ten years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine on each count followed by three years of supervised release. A general criminal forfeiture count is also included in the indictment.
The investigation in this case was conducted by the United States Postal Inspection Service. Postal Inspector Doug Wilson was the lead investigator and Assistant U.S. Attorney Stan Harris is the prosecutor for the case. U.S. Attorney Davis commended the Postal Inspection Service for its diligent work in the investigation of this matter.
The public is reminded that an indictment is a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of the federal criminal laws. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.