Sacramento County ranked among the hardest-hit areas in the nation for mail theft, Ho said, particularly in the Natomas neighborhoods of Sacramento, as well as Folsom and Rancho Cordova.<\/p>\n
Mail theft has led to identity theft, financial fraud and delayed government assistance, particularly for seniors, Ho said. Rep. Ami Bera, D-Elk Grove, a physician and former Sacramento County chief medical officer who represents much of Sacramento County in Congress, said many seniors rely on the mail to receive medication and critical medical information.<\/p>\n
Mark Hodges, the assistant inspector for the U.S. Postal Inspection Service\u2019s San Francisco division, said the consequences of mail theft \u201cgo way beyond the financial loss.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery American depends on the Postal Service for reliable and efficient delivery to every address in America, and mail theft erodes that trust in the mail,\u201d Hodges said.<\/p>\n
A main cause of theft is stolen master keys used to break into cluster mailboxes, Ho said. Sacramento City Councilmember Lisa Kaplan, who represents North Natomas, said an audit showed errors and issues with postal inspector offices\u2019 processes, leading to the master keys being stolen.<\/p>\n
Sacramento City Councilmember Lisa Kaplan joins area leaders and community members Monday in North Natomas as they announce a Sacramento Mail Theft Task Force, between the District Attorney\u2019s Office, the Sheriff\u2019s Office and the U.S. Postal Service. HECTOR AMEZCUA hamezcua@sacbee.com <\/p>\n
\u201cWe know this is mostly a federal offense,\u201d Kaplan said, recounting a conversation with Ho in the forming of this task force. \u201cWhat can we do differently for our community? Because our community doesn\u2019t want to hear there is nothing we can do.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the federal threshold to prosecute mail theft has been $250,000 or more in losses, Ho said thefts below that amount still affect residents and must be addressed.<\/p>\n
From January 2025 to February, the District Attorney\u2019s Office received more than 300 mail theft cases and prosecuted about 80%, Ho said. People convicted of felony mail theft could face up to three years in state prison, with longer sentences possible for those with prior criminal histories.<\/p>\n
How can residents protect themselves from mail theft?<\/p>\n
Kaplan encouraged Sacramento County residents to sign up for informed delivery<\/a>, a service through USPS that notifies people what will be delivered to their mailbox every day.<\/p>\n She also encouraged people to report mail theft to the police and the Postal Inspection Service<\/a>, as well as notify their elected representative.<\/p>\n This story was originally published March 2, 2026 at 1:09 PM.<\/p>\n Related Stories from Sacramento Bee<\/p>\n
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