OKLAHOMA CITY – Two men were sentenced to prison for the armed robberies of U.S. mail carriers and mail thefts that affected at least 505 victims and resulted in more than half a million dollars in actual losses, U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester announced.
TaRyan Nabond Prince-Sadler, 20, of Oklahoma City, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for robbing mail carriers and wielding a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
Prince-Sadler, a high school graduate, was indicted in May 2023 on two counts of armed robbery of mail, money or other property of the United States; two counts of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence; two counts of unauthorized possession of a postal key; one count of possession of stolen mail; and one count of theft of mail.
His accomplice, Rijae Varness Luster, 23, a high school dropout, was charged with aiding and abetting armed robbery of property of the U.S.
According to court records, postal carriers reported being robbed at gunpoint while delivering mail: in Oklahoma City at the Tuscany Village apartment complex on Oct. 24, 2022; at the Kickingbird Hills Apartment Complex in Edmond on Feb. 1, 2023; and in Stillwater on March 4, 2023, at the Apex Apartments on North Perkins Road. In each of those robberies a U.S. Postal Service “arrow key” was taken.
In addition, a postal carrier on his route in Norman was accosted at knifepoint on Jan. 30, 2023, apparently by Prince-Sadler, who demanded the carrier’s master key, but the carrier refused and the would-be thief fled, court records reveal.
Arrow keys are universal keys the USPS uses to access its blue boxes, outdoor parcel lockers, cluster box units, and apartment panels.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service received complaints directly from victims and reports from local law enforcement agencies – including police departments in Oklahoma City, The Village, Nichols Hills, Edmond and Midwest City – that checks were stolen from postal blue boxes.
During investigation of those incidents, a USPIS special agent wrote, “review of an Instagram account belonging to” Prince-Sadler “revealed suspicious posts and images.”
A search warrant of his Instagram account found “numerous conversations with other parties regarding robbery of USPS letter carriers, inquiry into timing of USPS letter carrier routes, remarks pertaining to the theft and sale of a USPS arrow key for $2,500, mail theft, alteration and/or sale of checks stolen from U.S. mail,” plus “use of others’ user names, passwords, and codes to gain unauthorized access to bank accounts to conduct bank fraud.”
On Nov. 15, 2022, a Putnam City High School student was found in possession of 161 checks that were stolen during the armed robbery of a postal carrier. Investigators learned that the checks were given to the student by Prince-Sadler.
In addition, Prince-Sadler was identified as the registered owner of a vehicle “observed on multiple video surveillance records” during several mail thefts from blue boxes.
Sadler arrested while stealing mail in Edmond In the early morning hours of April 17, 2023, USPIS inspectors tracked Prince-Sadler to the Coffee Creek Post Office on Covell Road in Edmond and observed him unlocking mailboxes, removing U.S. mail, and placing it in a trash bag, the USPIS special agent related. Prince-Sadler was arrested at the scene and postal inspectors recovered the arrow key from the Feb. 1, 2023, armed postal robbery. In his vehicle the inspectors found a Glock pistol, binoculars and stolen mail.
During the Stillwater holdup, surveillance cameras spotted a white vehicle following the mail carrier before and after the robbery. An investigation of that vehicle led authorities to Luster, who admitted to the court he drove Prince-Sadler to the Stillwater location to commit the robbery.
On April 24, 2023, USPIS obtained historical location data from T-Mobile which indicated Luster’s cell phone was in Stillwater during the time frame of the robbery there. Additional data revealed Luster’s cell phone was used to communicate with another cell phone number associated with Prince-Sadler in the moments leading up to the time of the robbery.
The USPIS also obtained historical location data from T-Mobile which indicated Prince-Sadler’s cell phone was also in Stillwater during the time of that robbery and was communicating with Luster.
On April 26, 2023, USPIS interviewed Aaliyah Jones, who told investigators she and Luster had been dating for two years. Jones said she remembered Luster taking her car on the day of the Stillwater robbery because she was sick with Covid-19 that day and Luster said he was using it to pick up Prince-Sadler to go to a mall.
Prince-Sadler, Luster plead guilty in robberies Prince-Sadler pleaded guilty Oct. 16, 2023, to two counts. As part of his plea, he admitted forcefully taking an arrow key from a mail carrier, putting the carrier’s life in jeopardy by using a firearm, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
At the sentencing hearing on July 17, U.S. District Judge Timothy D. DeGiusti sentenced Prince-Sadler to serve 120 months in federal prison, followed by four years of supervised release. Prince-Sadler’s criminal history also includes possessing a weapon on school property, malicious injury to property, and operating a vehicle without a license, court records show.
Luster was released from custody May 5, 2023, on a $5,000 unsecured bond. He pleaded guilty on Sept. 14, 2023, to aiding and abetting the robbery in Stillwater of mail and money, but he remained free on supervision pending sentencing. However, Luster’s bond was revoked on Nov. 8, 2023, and he was placed in detention because he tested positive for marijuana use on May 1; failed to appear for four random drug tests; failed to attend three mental health counseling sessions; and physically assaulted his girlfriend on Nov. 3.
Luster was sentenced June 25, 2024, to serve two and a half years in federal prison, followed by four years of supervised release.