Man arrested by APD in 2024 for mail theft pleads guilty in federal court

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Jonathan Casarez-Perez (Austin Police Department)

AUSTIN, Texas - A man arrested by the Austin Police Department in 2024 has now been sentenced to nearly five years in prison for stealing mail from a residential mailbox.

What we know:

Jonathan Casarez-Perez pled guilty in federal court on Jan. 1 to possession of a firearm by a felon and aggravated identity theft. He was sentenced to 54 months in prison and is required to pay restitution.

The charges stem from Casarez-Perez's arrest in December 2024.

Members of APD's North Austin Metro Tactical Unit learned of his whereabouts and confirmed he was wanted for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

They found his vehicle at a hotel and saw him leave the hotel and get in. Officers followed the vehicle, with the help of Air Support, as it moved through North Austin.

APD says during that time, Air Support captured footage of him stealing mail from a residential mailbox.

Eventually Casarez-Perez parked and he was detained. A search of his vehicle uncovered:

A loaded handgun
A counterfeit Arrow Key, used to access community mailboxes commonly located at apartment complexes, as well as several dozen USPS parcel keys
Hundreds of items of stolen mail, including the mail stolen during surveillance
Fraudulent and stolen identification, including bank cards, IDs and Passports
Hundreds of items of unlawfully possessed Personal Identifying Information

APD then called in the USPS Postal Inspector's Office, or USPIS, to coordinate on the investigation, which eventually ended in Casarez-Perez's guilty plea.

What you can do:

APD says it wants to educate the public on the rise in this type of crime, including large volume mail theft, fraud and related financial crimes.

Suspects often use stolen information to fraudulently obtain credit, create fake IDs, cash checks found in mail, and utilize stolen bank cards for financial gain.

APD is encouraging the public to: