Susan T. Lehr, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the District of Nebraska
United States Attorney Susan Lehr has announced the sentencing of William Stewart, a 29-year-old resident of Brooklyn, New York. Stewart was sentenced on February 6, 2025, in federal court in Lincoln, Nebraska, for possession of stolen mail and Post Office master keys. United States District Judge Susan M. Bazis imposed a sentence of 40 months’ imprisonment on Stewart. Following his release from prison, he will be subject to a three-year term of supervised release.
The incident leading to Stewart's arrest occurred on April 13, 2024. A York County Deputy Sheriff stopped Stewart while he was driving a rental car eastbound on Interstate 80. Upon detecting the smell of marijuana, the deputy conducted a search of the vehicle and discovered marijuana paraphernalia. In the trunk, authorities found a suitcase containing a United States Postal Service envelope with personal checks issued by various individuals and businesses; none were made out to Stewart. The suitcase also contained a laptop computer, printer, numerous blank checks, a FedEx uniform, and two United States Postal Service master or arrow keys used for accessing Post Office collection and delivery mailboxes. Stewart admitted ownership of these items.
In total, deputies seized 392 personal checks, 1,310 blank checks, and 42 blank check backs from Stewart's vehicle. These checks were written by 294 different people or businesses between December 2023 and April 2024 and had values ranging from $1 to $31,000. The total value amounted to $222,439.95. Victims were located in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, New York, and Florida. Some victims faced losses due to stop or late payment fees and had to replace checks or reestablish bank accounts because their original checks did not reach their intended destinations. As part of his sentence, Stewart was ordered to pay $325.40 in restitution for these losses.
Deputies contacted two victims from North Carolina whose checks were found among those seized. Both victims reported that they had mailed the checks as bill payments but did not know Stewart nor authorized him to possess their checks.
The investigation into this case was conducted by the United States Postal Inspection Service and the York County Sheriff’s Office.
