Virginia Men Steal U.S. Mail, Drain $84,000 From Victims’ Debit and Credit Cards

A Virginia pair has used stolen USPS arrow keys to steal mail and pull $84,000 from victims’ bank accounts.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia says Tremont Hancock, 25, and Olden Ellerbe III, 27, of Richmond conspired to steal U.S. mail and commit bank fraud.

From May of 2023 through April of 2024, the pair and others sometimes used the stolen arrow keys, which open Postal Service collection boxes across a local area, to grab personal and financial information from the mailstream.

They then drafted fictitious checks on victims’ accounts, used stolen debit and credit cards to take cash and applied for loans in victims’ names before withdrawing the proceeds.

On November 15th of 2023, during a spree of five withdrawals totaling $84,000, officers confronted Hancock and Ellerbe after the final transaction.

After a brief chase, officers arrested Ellerbe and recovered stolen mail, $59,940 in cash, 83 stolen checks with a face value of $153,630.83, nine stolen credit or debit cards, six stolen U.S. Savings Bonds worth $5,000 and a handgun.

Ellerbe’s rental car also held another stolen debit card, a counterfeit driver’s license and more stolen mail.

Ellerbe pleaded guilty on February 16th of 2024 and was sentenced on August 19th of 2024 to three years in prison.

Hancock pleaded guilty on December 4th of 2025 and was sentenced on September 16th of 2026 to five years and six months in prison.

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The post Virginia Men Steal U.S. Mail, Drain $84,000 From Victims’ Debit and Credit Cards appeared first on The Daily Hodl.