A Starke couple was sentenced to federal prison this week in connection with a mail theft scheme that spanned multiple months.
On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Marcia M. Howard sentenced 28-year-old Connor Lee Austin to 18 months in federal prison for theft of mail. His co-defendant, 26-year-old Maranda Ann Stewart, was also sentenced to 6 months in federal prison for the same charge.
In addition, Austin and Stewart have been ordered by the court to pay restitution to the victims in this case.
Stewart pleaded guilty to the charge on June 27, 2023, and Austin entered a guilty plea on July 12, 2023.
According to court documents and public records, in late April of 2022, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office received multiple reports of mail being stolen from mailboxes in the area of Keystone Heights. Surveillance footage from nearby homes captured a truck that was driving down roads with the passenger, later identified as Austin, and his co-defendant, later identified as Stewart, stealing mail from mailboxes in the area.
On May 6, 2022, the Baker County Sheriff’s Office arrested Austin and Stewart for their involvement with a fraudulent check. During the arrest, BCSO deputies conducted an inventory search of their truck, and over 100 pieces of mail were discovered that had been stolen from various addresses in Clay County.
Court records indicate that upon further investigation, it was determined that Austin and Stewart used Austin’s phone to deposit stolen checks into their bank accounts via mobile deposit. In addition, law enforcement recovered mail that had been stolen by Austin and Stewart from Baker, Bradford, Clay, Duval, and Putnam counties.
On April 19, 2023, Austin appeared in federal court pursuant to a writ bringing him to Jacksonville from Florida State Prison where he is serving a three-year prison sentence for grand theft, grand theft from a dwelling, and burglary. He was detained following the court appearance.
After initially releasing Stewart, the court ordered her detained on August 15, 2023.
This case was investigated by the Clay County Sheriff’s Office and the United States Postal Inspection Service, with assistance from the Bradford County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin C. Frein.