Austin man sentenced following conspiracy, mail robbery investigation

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AUSTIN (KXAN) — The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) said a 19 year old pleaded guilty to charges related to conspiracy and mail robbery.

According to the DOJ, Cody Smith, of Austin, and five codefendants targeted U.S. Postal Service letter carriers in 2023 to steal Arrow Keys, allowing them to open mailboxes unlawfully.

The DOJ identified the codefendants as Samuel Williams, 19, Christian Mosquera, 21, Nicholas Williams, 21, Camren Hamilton, 22, and Jonathan Rangel, 27.

According to the Justice Department, Smith pleaded guilty to one count of robbery of mail matter or other property and one count of conspiracy to commit robbery of mail matter or other property.

For the robbery charge, the DOJ said Smith faced faces a up to ten years in prison and up to five years in prison for the conspiracy charge. He does not yet have a sentencing date.

The DOJ said Mosquera, Nicholas Williams, Hamilton and Rangel also pleaded guilty to charges and were scheduled for sentence hearings in September.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Austin Police Department, Round Rock Police Department and Georgetown Police Department each help investigate the case, according to the DOJ.