COLUMBUS, Oho — In a federal court session today, Da’mon D. May, 18, Columbus, and Cody N. Beasley, also known as “Drose,” 22, Columbus, entered guilty pleas related to their involvement in an armed robbery of a mail carrier that took place in April 2023.
May and Beasley, two of three defendants charged in this case, were involved in the armed robbery alongside Mahad S. Jama, 21, of Westerville, as outlined in court documents. On April 4 at 3:20 pm, the trio robbed a USPS letter carrier at gunpoint while the carrier was seated in his work vehicle on Sawmill Road in Dublin.
Jama, armed with a handgun provided by May, approached the USPS vehicle, demanding the carrier’s U.S. Postal Service key. Beasley played a role in aiding and abetting the robbery.
The stolen key, identified as an “arrow key” granting access to mail collection boxes, is part of an ongoing investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and partner law enforcement agencies into a network involved in robbing or stealing U.S. Postal Service keys for the purpose of pilfering checks from collection boxes. A separate indictment in Columbus in August charged two additional defendants for four distinct armed robberies against U.S. Postal carriers.
In his plea, May confessed to providing Jama with a 9mm handgun just before the robbery. Investigators subsequently discovered the stolen Postal key at May’s residence on April 13.
May pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the aggravated robbery of property of the United States, a crime carrying a maximum sentence of up to 25 years in prison. Additionally, he pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the brandishing of a firearm during a crime of violence, which holds a potential sentence of at least seven years and up to life in prison.
Beasley, in his guilty plea, admitted to possessing stolen mail in another district and aiding and abetting the aggravated robbery of property of the United States in the present case. He acknowledged stealing a Postal key in March 2023 in the Cleveland area.
During a traffic stop in Parma Heights, Beasley and Jama fled from law enforcement but were eventually detained. A subsequent search of their vehicle revealed a black trash bag containing numerous unpostmarked pieces of mail. Beasley’s phone contained images of stolen checks and information about 38 Post Offices and USPS collection boxes in Cleveland.
While in jail together for crimes in the Northern District of Ohio, Beasley disclosed planning a new Postal robbery in Dublin. He directed the April 4 armed robbery and later compensated Jama for his alleged involvement in the theft.
Congress establishes maximum statutory sentences, and the sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the Court based on advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors in future hearings.
