Defendant Convicted of Violent Robbery of Postal Worker, Theft of Mail, and Bank Fraud

 

A federal jury in Brooklyn convicted Mahwanga Campbell, also known as “Mahwanga Elijah Solo Campbell” and “Elijah Campbell,” on all counts of a superseding indictment charging him with conspiracy to rob a mail carrier, possession of stolen mail, and the fraudulent deposit of stolen and/or altered United States Treasury checks.  The charges arise from Campbell’s participation in the violent assault and robbery of a United States Postal Service (USPS) mail carrier in Queens, New York.  The verdict was delivered after a two-week trial before United States District Judge Eric N. Vitaliano.  When sentenced, Campbell faces up to 30 years’ imprisonment. Campbell’s co-conspirators remain at large.

Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge, United States Postal Inspection Service, New York Division (USPIS), announced the verdict.

“This verdict holds the defendant accountable for the violent robbery of a United States Postal Service mail carrier,” stated United States Attorney Nocella.  “Mail carriers perform a vital function and are part of the fabric of our communities. Our Office will vigorously prosecute criminals who assault government employees while they are doing their job and we will not rest until the co-conspirators in this cowardly attack are also brought to justice.”

“U.S. Postal Service Letter Carriers perform a core function in serving the community every day and they should be able to do so without fear. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service will aggressively investigate all those who seek to commit violence against USPS Letter Carriers and with the help of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District Court of New York hold all who would commit such acts accountable,” stated USPS Inspector in Charge Larco-Ward 

As proved at trial, on September 2, 2023, a USPS mail carrier was delivering mail in the vicinity of Union Hall Street in Jamaica, Queens, when he was punched in the face, thrown to the pavement, and robbed of his arrow key (a USPS key used by mail carriers to open mailboxes) by two of Campbell’s co‑conspirators, while Campbell acted as the getaway driver.  The victim suffered pain to his head and a cracked tooth as a result of the attack.  Law enforcement traced the getaway vehicle driven by Campbell using surveillance video and license plate trackers.  On February 11, 2025, pursuant to a warrant, Campbell was arrested during a traffic stop by a police officer in Charlotte, South Carolina, and Campbell’s cell phones were seized.   

Campbell’s phones were searched pursuant to a judicially authorized search warrant and found to contain images and videos of checks made out to people other than Campbell, as well as identification documents in the names of other people.  The checks depicted on Campbell’s phones were issued to various payees other than Campbell by various individuals and companies across multiple states, including New York, Delaware, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Georgia, with issue dates ranging from at least June 2023 to February 2025. Several of the checks depicted on the phones were issued by payors located within the geographic area where mailboxes can be accessed with the stolen arrow key and were dated within three weeks of the date of the robbery in Queens.  Campbell’s phone also contained videos showing how stolen checks were altered:  first by “washing” the recipient and dollar amount off the stolen checks by dissolving the handwritten ink in acetone or brake fluid, and then by replacing those with a new recipient and dollar amount.

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Section.