New Mexico man accused of robbing postal carrier following ICE HSI investigation
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – A local man made an initial appearance Thursday in federal court facing charges of robbery of a postal employee, theft or receipt of stolen or reproduced keys or locks, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) investigated the case.
Rayshawn Boyce, 26, will remain in custody pending a detention hearing scheduled for Feb. 22.
According to a criminal complaint, on Jan. 18 a United States Postal Service (USPS) letter carrier was gathering mail from his vehicle on Domingo Road NE in Albuquerque. Boyce and another person allegedly grabbed the carrier by the back of the shirt, pulled him from the vehicle and threw him onto the ground. Boyce and his accomplice allegedly pointed handguns at the carrier’s head and demanded his postal keys. The carrier complied and Boyce and his accomplice allegedly fled the area.
“The defendants in this case thought they had a strategy to elude law enforcement,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Taekuk Cho. “HSI, with its unique investigative authorities, works closely with our federal partners to ensure and maintain trust in the U.S. Postal Service, while keeping the Homeland safe.”
If convicted, Boyce faces up to 10 years in prison for stolen keys, up to 10 years in prison for robbing a postal employee, and a minimum of seven years and up to life in prison for brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.
Assistant United States Attorney Letitia Simms is prosecuting the case.
A complaint is only an allegation. A defendant is considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
HSI is a directorate of ICE and the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel and finance move. HSI’s workforce of over 10,400 employees consists of more than 7,100 special agents assigned to 225 cities throughout the United States, and 80 overseas locations in 53 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.
Learn more about HSI’s public safety mission in your community @HSIElPaso.
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