A California man is facing felony charges after U.S. Postal Inspectors saw him retrieving stolen mail, including unvoted election ballots, from a collection box outside a Scottsdale post office.
Richard Anthony Ramos Jr., 26, from Stockton, California, was apprehended on July 21 at the Scottsdale Hopi Post Office. He is charged with two charges of third-degree burglary and one case of aggravated identity theft, according to Maricopa County court records.
Investigators claim the fraud began in May 2026, when the US Postal Inspection Service began receiving allegations of stolen checks from the blue collection box in front of the Scottsdale Hopi Post Office.
Postal officials believe the suspect utilized USPS Priority and Express boxes as “traps,” putting them inside the collecting box to keep outgoing mail from dropping all the way down. The suspect would then return to retrieve the trap and the accumulated mail.
On June 30, a postal client discovered that his mail was becoming trapped in the mailbox. He looked inside and pulled out some cardboard that had been jammed in to block the mail. He alerted Scottsdale police, who then notified postal inspectors, according to court documents.
In early July, the post office supervisor notified a postal inspector that numerous traps had been discovered within the collection box. On July 14, inspectors put a camera and a license plate reader at the site.
On July 20, the post office supervisor contacted the postal inspector again, reporting that traps were discovered inside the collection box while a staffer was collecting mail at 9:30 a.m., noon, and 3:30 p.m. The clerk told inspectors she felt she was being monitored and that someone was stuffing the box right after she emptied it.
According to court documents, investigators studied camera footage and license plate reader data from 3 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. that day and observed a silver 4-door Infiniti with a California license plate pull up to the box. Arms were spotted reaching into the box, and the car remained for more than two minutes.
According to the paperwork, a search of the license plate revealed that the vehicle was registered to someone in Stockton, California.
On the morning of July 21, postal inspectors set up surveillance at the post office, discovering a trap inside with outgoing mail hanging out. At around 7:12 a.m., a silver Infiniti approached the box, and the driver removed the trap along with the outgoing mail. Inspectors approached the vehicle as it began to leave, identifying Ramos as the driver.
Ramos was caught and informed inspectors that he was from California and had never been arrested before but declined to answer any additional questions.
According to court papers, Ramos consented to the search of his vehicle and signed a USPIS permission form. Inside, inspectors discovered USPS Priority boxes, Ramos’ cell phone, and US mail, including three Maricopa County mail-in election ballots.
Victims who had their mail stolen confirmed that they intended to pursue legal action. Several victims sent checks, including one for $16,000.
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