LAFAYETTE, La. — One man is in custody and more arrests are expected after Lafayette Police say they caught someone stealing as much as $600,000 in checks from U.S. Postal Service drop boxes in the Lafayette area.
Beau Alexander LaFleur, 28, faces 19 counts of monetary instrument abuse, 15 counts of theft, 14 counts of forgery, two counts of identity theft and one count each of bank fraud and illegal carrying of a weapon, police said in a news release. Bond has not yet been set and it was unknown if he has an attorney who could speak on his behalf.
Lafayette Police Sgt. Robin Green told news outlets the arrest comes after a three-month investigation. Green said Thursday that detectives “conducted an operation” on Coolidge Street near Travis Street based on several thefts of mail from Postal Service drop boxes.
Green said officers made a traffic stop on LaFleur’s vehicle and found “several pieces of mail” which police believe he stole from the drop boxes. LaFleur also was found in possession of a U.S. Postal key, Green said.
“The investigation is still on-going and detectives are expecting more victims to come forward and additional arrests,” Green said. “If anyone thinks that they may have been a victim of fraud they are urged to contact Lafayette Police Department. We want the community to know that the thefts are occurring only from the blue United States Postal drop boxes, not individuals’ mail boxes.”
