Mail theft, money laundering scheme; Milwaukee man sentenced

MILWAUKEE - A Milwaukee man has been sentenced to probation for a money laundering scheme that involved stealing checks out of the mail.

Milwaukee man sentenced

In Court:

Mario Casey, 29, was originally charged with five felonies. Court records show he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering and forgery, and the other three charges were dismissed as part of a plea deal.

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Milwaukee County Judge Jay Pucek initially sentenced Casey to prison time for forgery, but stayed that sentence and instead gave him three years' probation. Casey was sentenced to time served in the Milwaukee County Community Reintegration Center for money laundering.

Mail theft

The backstory:

Wauwatosa's city assessor reported that several pieces of mail containing checks had been stolen from a U.S. Postal Service mailbox outside City Hall.

The suspect's car – a red Chrysler – was seen near the mailbox on nine different occasions, eight of which happened in March, between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m., according to a criminal complaint. One person would get out of the driver's door, sometimes joined by a passenger. They'd go over to the mailbox, use a mail key to open it, and remove the mail. Police determined more than $100,000 was stolen.

Wauwatosa police set up an operation to arrest the suspect on April 4. The red Chrysler pulled into the City Hall parking lot and stopped at the mailbox shortly after 3 a.m. Mario Casey was alone in the car and was arrested. An officer found the mailbox key in his jacket pocket.

Initial interview

What they're saying:

A detective interviewed Casey, and court filings said the "lies from Casey were so poor [the detective] had a hard time following what he was saying."

The complaint said Casey initially claimed he was at the mailbox on the night of his arrest to put something in the mailbox, not to steal any mail. As for why he had a mailbox key, he said he found it at Mayfair Mall and had it with him that night "for whatever reason."

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When the detective explained to Casey that his car had been seen on video from prior thefts, and that "it was not a random thing that five squad cars pulled into the parking lot and arrested him," prosecutors said Casey admitted to stealing from the City Hall mailbox. He also said he stole from another mailbox at 63rd and Bluemound, but "ain't nothing ever be in there."

The detective asked Casey where the checks were going, and court filings said he sent photographs of the checks through a messenger app to someone he knew as "Oxy." Casey said Oxy would send him $100 for each check sent, and he said he made a few thousand dollars. 

Casey said he estimated he stole more than 800 pieces of mail over the course of three to four months, according to the complaint. If he found a death certificate or birthday card, he would reseal the envelope and put it back because "he would feel bad." He said he was "not a bad person," tried to "be careful with people's information and hard-earned money," and he would put the mail back if he "could not get anything from it."