Princeton couple federally charged for $1M mail, ID theft scheme

HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT) – Officials say a Princeton couple is facing federal charges for a $1 million mail and identity theft scheme, as well as firearms offenses.

According to the United States Attorney’s Office Southern District of Indiana, Michael Jerome Wright, 44, and Cortney Lashea Young, 35, both of Princeton, Indiana, have both been charged with mail theft.

Officials say Wright is also charged with unlawful possession of a mail key, access device fraud, aggravated identity theft, possession of ammunition by a previously convicted felon and possession of a machinegun. Officials say Young was also charged with possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon.

According to court documents, in October of 2023, law enforcement officials began receiving numerous complaints about mail theft and check forgery. The reported value of missing, forged or counterfeited checks totaled more than one million dollars.

Officials say in March of 2024, an Evansville Police Department officer began surveilling local United States Postal Service (USPS) collection boxes. On five different occasions, investigators say they saw Wright open collection boxes with an arrow key around 4:30 in the morning, sort through the mail, then drive off with stolen mail. Officials say on at least two of those occasions, investigators saw Young behind the wheel of the getaway car.

According to the United States Attorney’s Office Southern District of Indiana, the United States Postal Service uses a unique type of lock known as an “arrow lock” to secure USPS collection boxes, lockers, and apartment mailbox panels. These locks can only be opened with an arrow key. It is a crime for anyone not authorized by the Postal Service to knowingly have or use arrow keys.

Authorities say on April 3, 2023, investigators saw Young drive Wright to a USPS collection box in Evansville. Authorities say Wright exited the vehicle and took mail from the box. Officials say the couple drove away and were stopped by law enforcement officers. Officials say officers searched the vehicle and uncovered an arrow key and stolen mail on the passenger floorboard. Officials say included in the mail located in the vehicle were approximately 100 wedding invitations that had been placed in a USPS collection box the night before.

According to the United States Attorney’s Office Southern District of Indiana, investigators conducted a court-authorized search of Wright and Young’s apartment in Princeton and located numerous checks and their corresponding envelopes, many of which had been reported as stolen from the mail. Officials say the face value of the stolen checks was in excess of $1 million.

Authorities say investigators also found two handguns under the mattress in Young and Wright’s bedroom. Officials say one pistol was a partially 3D-printed privately-made firearm with no serial number, noting that this type of weapon is commonly referred to as a “ghost gun” because it has no records related to its’ manufacture or sale. Authorities say the second firearm was a Ruger LCP .380 caliber pistol and investigators also recovered two 30-round extended magazines. Officials say the ghost gun had a machine gun conversion device, allowing it to fire as a fully-automatic weapon. Authorities say this machine gun conversion device is considered a machine gun under federal law, whether or not the device is installed in a firearm.

Officials say Wright has sustained multiple felony convictions including operating a vehicle as a habitual traffic violator, operating a vehicle while intoxicated and dealing in a synthetic drug, as well as a murder conviction in Cook County, Illinois. Authorities say Young has sustained a felony conviction for fraud. Officials say these prior felony convictions prohibit Wright and Young from ever legally possessing a firearm or ammunition.

According to the United States Attorney’s Office Southern District of Indiana, the U.S. Secret Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Evansville Police Department investigated this case. Authorities say should Wright or Young be convicted, a federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

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