CHICAGO — Prosecutors have charged two more people with using U.S. Postal Service master keys to steal mail from residential buildings in Chicago.
Jonathan Minter, 37, of Chicago, and Alexander Kirkpatrick, 31, of Champaign, worked together to steal mail from a condo building in the 800 block of South Wells four times between July and September, according to criminal complaints filed by prosecutors.
The pair used a so-called “arrow key,” a master key postal workers use to access mailboxes, to steal mail from the building’s residents on July 26, August 14, August 21, and September 8, the complaints said. Minter is also accused of stealing mail from the building on August 6.
Judge Barbara Dawkins released both men from custody with orders to stay away from the building and the victims. Minter is being held separately for a probation violation in DuPage County, according to paperwork filed with the court clerk.
In a statement released Thursday, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service said both men were also suspected of “identity theft and account takeovers” in Chicago during 2022 and 2023. Additional charges are possible, the statement said.
