Mail theft and fraud scheme leads to prison sentences for two Chesapeake men
Chesapeake, Virginia – Two Chesapeake men, Isaiah J. Card, 24, and Dahnico Jharon McCoy, 22, were recently sentenced to seven years in prison each for their roles in a series of crimes involving bank fraud, identity theft, and the armed robbery of a U.S. Postal Service letter carrier.
The criminal activities of Card and McCoy came to light following a surveillance operation conducted by Postal Inspectors and the Chesapeake Police Department (CPD) on December 18, 2022. Authorities were monitoring the Chesapeake Main Post Office late into the evening when they observed a vehicle pull up at 11:37 p.m. Two individuals exited the vehicle and accessed the blue mail collection boxes using an arrow key—a special key issued by the U.S. Postal Service to open various types of mailboxes, including those for blue collection boxes and apartment panel mailboxes.
While Isaiah Card remained in the vehicle as the driver, his accomplices retrieved approximately 250 pieces of stolen mail before attempting to flee. Law enforcement officials quickly intervened, detaining Card at the scene while his accomplices attempted to escape on foot. One of the suspects, Dahnico McCoy, was apprehended shortly after, while the other remains at large.
Further investigation revealed that the vehicle contained numerous stolen checks and Western Union Money Orders from previous mail thefts. Many of these financial documents had been altered, or “washed,” to bear the names and account numbers of McCoy and Card, pointing to a larger scheme of bank fraud and identity theft.
The situation escalated on April 19, 2023, when Card and McCoy traveled to Raleigh, North Carolina. Armed with a firearm, they robbed a mail carrier to obtain another arrow key. This key was then used to steal mail from numerous postal boxes in the Raleigh area. Their crime spree came to an end on April 27, 2023, following a traffic stop where police recovered the stolen arrow key, a handgun, and at least 180 washed checks.
On February 8, 2024, both men pled guilty to charges including possession of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft. McCoy was sentenced on June 21 to seven years in prison, while Card received his seven-year sentence more recently.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Kosky, and the sentences were handed down by Senior U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney Jr. U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber and Acting Inspector Ajay Lall of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Washington Division announced the sentencing, underscoring the severity of the offenses and the commitment of federal agencies to combat mail-related crimes.
