EMERYVILLE — A local mail thief found a way to get through security measures at apartment complexes around town, simply by donning a familiar Amazon delivery uniform and carrying brown packages in his hand, authorities said.
The ruse reportedly worked for months, resulting in mail theft incidents in May, June, and July. But now prosecutors say they’ve identified the suspect, who was known to East Bay cops for an unrelated investigation.
A 35-year-old Oakland resident was charged on July 30 with four counts of burglary, and with violating his parole in a prior burglary case. He remains in jail, with bail having been revoked in the parole case, and set at $5,000 in the burglary case, court records show.
He has pleaded not guilty and his preliminary hearing has been set for Sept. 17, records show.
Prosecutors say that the man used his disguise to gain entry to Green City Lofts on 41st Street and Bayview Place apartments on Shellmound Street. Once inside, he allegedly grabbed whatever packages he could find and left. Residents buzzed him in during all four incidents, authorities said.
Eventually, after the man showed up to the same complexes multiple times, the residents got wise to the scheme. Police say they identified the man from surveillance footage, and that an investigator in Berkeley identified him from prior contacts.