Portland Man Sentenced To 55 Months In Federal Prison For Mail Theft, Identity Theft Scheme (Photo) - 11/10/26
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 10, 2026
Portland Man Sentenced to 55 Months in Federal Prison for Mail Theft, Identity Theft Scheme
PORTLAND, Ore. — A Portland man was sentenced to four years and seven months in federal prison for stealing hundreds of pieces of mail, using stolen identities to commit bank fraud, and possessing counterfeit postal service keys, U.S. Attorney Scot Bradford announced today.
Michael John Peters, 43, was sentenced to 55 months in federal prison and three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to possession of stolen mail, possession of counterfeit postal service arrow keys, bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft. The court also ordered Peters to pay $30,079 in restitution to victims and a $400 special assessment.
According to court documents, beginning in May 2025, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated a series of mail thefts from apartment and condominium buildings throughout the Portland metropolitan area. Surveillance footage showed Peters entering secured residential buildings, opening cluster mailboxes using counterfeit postal service keys, and stealing mail.
On July 8, 2025, Peters was confronted by security staff while attempting another mail theft. He abandoned a backpack containing counterfeit postal service keys, stolen mail belonging to multiple victims, and a device used to gain access to secured buildings.
Investigators determined that Peters used information obtained from stolen mail to commit identity theft and bank fraud. In one instance, he opened a checking account in a victim's name and obtained a $20,000 loan from a financial institution. He also submitted additional fraudulent loan applications seeking more than $100,000 from various financial institutions.
On Sept. 22, 2025, U.S. Postal Inspectors executed a federal search warrant at an apartment Peters had rented using a victim's identity. When authorities arrived, a tenant reported that Peters jumped from an upper-floor balcony onto the tenant's twelfth-floor balcony before running through the apartment and fleeing down a stairwell.
During the search, investigators recovered approximately 393 pieces of stolen mail, 22 identification cards, 15 gift cards, 15 debit and credit cards, counterfeit identification documents, and equipment used to manufacture counterfeit keys and fraudulent identification cards. Authorities also seized 3D printers, a key-cutting machine, credit card readers, silicone key molds, and other tools used to facilitate the scheme.
Investigators later arrested Peters at the residence of a romantic partner and recovered additional evidence of the identity theft operation from his cellular phones.
Court records show Peters had prior convictions for similar offenses in Hawaii and California and was on probation in both jurisdictions when he committed the Oregon offenses.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, with assistance from the Portland Police Bureau and the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA).
It was prosecuted by First Assistant U.S. Attorney William M. Narus for the District of Oregon.
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