A 33-year old Imperial County man was sentenced in federal court to 18 months in custody for mail theft and possession of stolen mail.

Theodore Bennett pleaded guilty in December of 2020 , admitting that on four different occasions in 2020 , he pried open at least 94 post office boxes at post offices in Imperial and San Diego Counties. He told federal agents that he stole dozens of pieces of mail containing credit cards plus $6,500 in checks , including Economic Impact Payments issued by the U. S. Department of Treasury. When arrested , law enforcement agents found hundreds of pieces of stolen mail in Bennett's possession. Bennett faced up to five years in prison for the crimes.