A Chicago man who robbed a U.S. Postal Service letter carrier of a master key while wearing an electronic monitoring bracelet has been sentenced to eight years in federal prison, officials announced Monday. Henry Moorer, 33, pleaded guilty to a federal robbery charge in October and U.S. District Judge John Tharp Jr. imposed the sentence earlier this month, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago.
Federal prosecutors said Moorer drove a Dodge Charger to the 700 block of South Claremont Avenue in Tri-Taylor on March 18, 2022, where he spotted a postal carrier delivering mail. After parking, he approached the carrier and offered to buy the worker’s arrow key, a universal U.S. Postal Service key used to access collection boxes, outdoor parcel lockers, apartment mailbox panels, and other mail receptacles.
The carrier declined to sell the key, and Moorer walked away. A short time later, he returned and said words to the effect of, “I’m not going to lie to you. I need those keys.”
When the carrier asked if he was being robbed, Moorer allegedly pulled a black semiautomatic handgun from the pocket of his hooded sweatshirt, displayed the butt of the weapon, and said words to the effect of, “Nothing against you. I don’t want to hurt you or point it at you. I just need those keys.”
Officials said the carrier raised their hands and Moorer removed the arrow key from the carrier’s belt before returning to the Dodge Charger and driving away.
Stolen arrow keys are valuable on the black market because one key can unlock dozens of mailboxes at once, allowing thieves to collect checks, credit cards, bank statements, tax documents, and other financial information with minimal effort. Some offenders act alone while others operate inside larger organized networks that launder money, alter checks, and traffic personal data.
About six weeks before the robbery, Chicago police arrested Moorer and charged him with being an armed habitual criminal after officers allegedly found him in possession of a firearm inside the same Dodge Charger. He was released. Eight days later, he was arrested again after his girlfriend reported that he broke the window of her vehicle, grabbed her, and drove away in the same Charger. He was released on electronic monitoring and was still wearing the ankle monitor when he robbed the postal carrier, according to court records.
Moorer remained on electronic monitoring until March 2024, when he was arrested in connection with two burglaries, both allegedly committed while wearing the ankle monitor. Federal investigators subsequently linked him to the postal carrier robbery and filed charges.
In state court, Moorer pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and both burglary charges. According to Illinois Department of Corrections records, he is expected to be released on parole in January 2029.
Federal officials said in a sentencing memo that his criminal record includes convictions for possession of cocaine in 2013, altering a credit card in 2015, escape from electronic monitoring in 2015, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon in 2017, and cannabis possession in 2021.
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