A 24-year-old Stoughton man pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston Monday to the armed robberies of United States Postal Service (USPS) letter carriers, including robbing one at knifepoint.
Kenneth Demosthene pleaded guilty to two counts each of robbery of any person having lawful charge, control, or custody of any mail matter or of any money or other property of the United States, aiding and abetting and two counts each of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers or employees, aiding and abetting.
In May 2023, Demosthene was indicted with Myesha Lewis.
On Nov. 29, 2022, Demosthene and Lewis approached a letter carrier in Mattapan and said, “I’m going to need your master key,” before reaching into the letter carrier’s mail satchel and grabbing the arrow key, acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy’s office said. The key is a specific key designed to opened blue USPS collection boxes.
However, it was secured around the letter carrier’s belt with a brass chain. Officials said the two used force to physically break the brass chain, which caused the letter carrier to be pulled off the front steps. They then fled the scene in a rental vehicle, Levy’s office said.
On Dec. 16, 2022, Demosthene and Lewis robbed another USPS letter carrier of an arrow key at knife point in Hyde Park, officials said.
“Give me your f****** arrow key,” Demosthene said as he approached the USPS letter carrier, according to Levy’s office. The letter carrier put their hands in the air as Demosthene and Lewis attempted to remove the arrow key, at first by force pulling at the chain. Demosthene and Lewis then attempted to cut it with the knife — eventually breaking the arrow key loose, Levy’s office said.
There has been a national trend of threatening, assaulting and robbing United States postal employees for arrow keys, including in Massachusetts.
Since July 2022, there have been at least 23 assaults on USPS letter carriers while working in Boston and its surrounding communities. And at least 15 of the robberies were instances where the people were armed with a knife, firearm, or both, officials said.
Sentencing is scheduled for for Oct. 22. The charges could include a sentence of up to 25 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.
