A 43-year-old man who was a mail carrier and suspected of mail theft and fraud during the course of his employment has been taken into custody, authorities announced Friday.
Deputies assigned to the Lake Mathews Sheriff’s Station responded around 10:33 a.m. May 7 to the 16000 block of Mockingbird Canyon Road in the unincorporated community of Woodcrest to reports of mail and identity theft, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff’s officials said the victim reported that their bank card was stolen from their mail and later used to make about $1,100 in purchases.
Investigators later identified the suspect as Alan Guey of Home Gardens, who was employed as a mail carrier for the United States Postal Service during the time of the alleged offense.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Office of Inspector General were notified by deputies of the theft and cooperated with the investigation, sheriff’s officials said.
Special Enforcement Team and agents from the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General served a search warrant Thursday at Guey’s home in the 5000 block of Avenida Veracruz, where he was taken into custody without incident, authorities said.
During the investigation, multiple stolen credit cards, debit cards, gift cards, and narcotics were seized.
Guey was later booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center on suspicion of mail theft, identity theft, and possession of methamphetamine.
Anyone with information regarding the case was urged to call the Lake Mathews Sheriff’s Station at 951-272-5600 or Riverside County sheriff’s dispatch at 951-776-1099.