St. Louis Co. man sentenced for trying to bribe postal workers for keys

By Rheanna Wachter

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    ST. LOUIS, Missouri (KMOV) — A St. Louis county man has been sentenced for attempting to bribe postal workers into letting him buy keys for mail collection boxes.

Dwaundre K. Valley, 21, of Bridgeton, pleaded guilty in October to bribery of a public official. He was sentenced to 20 months in prison.

Valley admitted to attempting to bribe three different postal workers in March and April of 2022 for the “arrow” keys which allow access to mail collection boxes. Court documents say that Valley offered one mail carrier $5,000 for the keys.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Clow wrote in a sentencing memo that the attempted briberies come as mail theft has been on the rise, with mail theft often being to search for checks to commit fraud with. He also noted that crimes like Valley’s can bend the public’s sense of security with government services.

“The Postal Inspection Service is committed to investigating those that attempt to compromise the integrity of the U.S. Mail and Postal Service employees. This sentencing is a clear indication that our investigative efforts will not cease until those responsible for such criminal acts are brought to justice,” said Ruth M. Mendonça, Inspector in Charge of the Chicago Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which includes the St. Louis Field Office.

These cases were investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. A U.S. Marshals Service task force that includes the St. Louis County Police Department assisted in apprehending Valley. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Clow prosecuted the case.

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