Armed robbery of three Postal Workers leads to 21+ years in prison

Xavier Sean Boyd, 20, of Jennings, was one of five people involved in a conspiracy in the summer of 2022 to rob postal workers of the arrow keys that unlock mail collection boxes, use those keys to steal checks and then use those checks to commit fraud.

Boyd robbed a postal carrier at gunpoint on June 1, 2022, on Chambers Road in St. Louis County. The conspirators used that key four days later to steal mail from collection boxes in Berkeley, West Florissant, Normandy, Overland and Ferguson.

Boyd and co-conspirator Roy Lee Jones deposited $19,199.60 in stolen checks into Jones’ credit union account on June 7, 2022. They next day, they tried to withdraw the entire amount, but were only able to obtain $8,500. They also deposited checks into Xavier Boyd ‘s bank account but were not able to withdraw any of the stolen funds.

Jones robbed a second postal carrier of his arrow key on June 9, 2022. Boyd robbed a third carrier less than 20 minutes later. Both were in Boyd’s mother’s SUV at the time. The third postal carrier noted the license plate of the SUV and police spotted the vehicle within minutes.

Boyd initially pulled over and then sped away, sparking a high-speed chase that ended when Boyd crashed. Both men fled, carrying pistols. Police tackled Boyd within feet of the SUV and arrested Jones on the front steps of a nearby day care center.

In a video call from jail after his arrest, Boyd warned one of his co-conspirators to try and thwart the investigation, according to court documents. Boyd had just graduated from a prestigious local high school and had at least one college acceptance at the time he was terrorizing postal workers.

“Postal Service employees play an integral role in our communities delivering mail to the American people.  As public servants, postal employees must be allowed to do their job safely and securely.  Postal Inspectors will aggressively investigate anyone who brings harm to these invaluable public servants,” said Inspector in Charge, Ruth Mendonça, who leads the Chicago Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which includes the St. Louis Field Office.

Boyd pleaded guilty in September to three counts of robbery and two counts of possession and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a robbery.

Last month, Judge Schelp sentenced Jones, 22, to 84 months in prison. Jones pleaded guilty in August to one count of robbery, one count of theft of a mail key and one count of possession and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a robbery.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the St. Louis County Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Dunkel prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. O

n May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results