ORLANDO, Fla. – A man faces a judge in federal court Friday, the latest suspect arrested in a conspiracy to rob mail carriers and steal their keys in Orlando.
The United States Postal Inspection Service arrested Camilo Vivas Sanchez last month.
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Sanchez is accused of robbing a United States Postal Service mail carrier at the Oak Grove Apartments in the Millenia area of Orlando on March 7, 2022. According to the arrest affidavit, Sanchez stepped into the carrier’s mail truck, demanded his arrow key — which is used to open mail collection receptacles — and tried to pull the key off the carrier’s belt so forcefully that he pulled the victim out of the truck.
The affidavit said a second robber, identified as Jesus Rafael Rojas, struck the carrier on the back of the head so hard it caused a concussion and a scalp hematoma. The affidavit said Rojas and Sanchez then ran off in different directions.
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The affidavit said Rojas was brought in on Jan. 9, 2023, and he identified Sanchez as his accomplice.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service believes Rojas and Sanchez were part of a conspiracy to steal arrow keys in exchange for money. The affidavit said Rojas and Sanchez met with their contact who organized the robbery and exchanged the arrow key for $1,000 each.
The conspiracy involved using arrow keys to steal mail, alter stolen checks and then deposit them into bank accounts at branches around town.
In a criminal complaint filed against another suspect in the conspiracy last year, the USPIS believed the arrow key was used to steal mail from four nearby apartment and condo complexes:
- West Winds Apartments on Eastwinds Drive
- Summergate Condominiums on Cypress Woods Drive
- Rosemont Windermere Apartments on Conroy Road
- Bella Capri Apartments on Cason Cove Drive
Sanchez is facing federal charges related to the assault and robbery of a mail carrier.
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