OAKLAND — A judge sentenced a 31-year-old Oakland man to more than six years in prison Thursday for a series of attempted and successful East Bay letter-carrier thefts, authorities said.
In a plea agreement after an investigation by Oakland police and the United States Postal Inspection Service, David Leveren Quinn admitted to working with others to rob or try to rob five postal carriers on rounds in East Oakland neighborhoods between August 11 and September 25, 2000.
In that Aug. 11 robbery, a postal carrier working in the 2000 block of 34th Avenue was robbed at gunpoint, prompting a $50,000 reward for tips leading to a suspect’s arrest.
“It’s very rare but it does happen,” USPIS spokesman Jeff Fitch said at the time, “and it’s why we have the reward we do. The safety of our employees is our No. 1 priority, especially while working on the streets.”
But Quinn and others continued pursuing letter carriers, threatening them with guns or displaying them, and possibly emboldening other thieves who continued thefts into the following spring.
In one robbery, Quinn took mail that contained a state Employment Development Department (EDD) debit card and used internet searches to find the intended recipient’s personal information, including a Social Security number. He then made cash withdrawals and purchases, including buying a Cadillac sport-utility vehicle he used later in an attempted robbery.
Quinn was arrested March 8, 2021, and Justice Department officials filed charges on April 14 against Quinn for conspiracy to commit robberies affecting interstate commerce. Quinn later pleaded guilty to the lone count against him.
Superior Court Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers sentenced Quinn on Thursday to 75 months in prison, followed by a three-year supervised release term. Quinn will begin serving his sentence immediately.
Contact George Kelly at 408-859-5180.
Source: www.mercurynews.com