'Pathetic': Milwaukee men sentenced for roles in armed robberies of mail carriers

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- On Monday, Aug. 12, two Milwaukee men were in court to see how long they'll spend in prison for their roles in an armed robbery ring that targeted United States Postal Service (USPS) workers.

The men tried to steal what are called "arrow keys" that would grant them access to mail drop boxes.

Those robberies were among several incidents that spurred postal workers to rally for better protection while on the job.

Christian Gustavo Lara-Maldonado turned 22 years old Monday. In court, he was sentenced to seven years in prison for two felony armed robbery counts.

Lara-Maldonado is one of four men who committed the robberies on Nov. 6 of 2023.

At 10:22 a.m., three armed men approached a postal worker on their route near 12th and Holt.

According to the criminal complaint, they racked their guns and said, "give me everything you got."

They took the mail carrier's phone, mailbag, package scanner, and the key to their USPS vehicle. They then fled the scene.

Less than an hour later, near 48th and Euclid, three of them held another mail carrier at gunpoint inside his USPS van.

One pointed a gun at the postal worker's head and said, "give up the arrow key." They took a set of arrow keys from his carrier bag and fled the area. They sold a stolen arrow key for $500 and split the money.

No cameras were allowed in court Monday, where the judge called the robberies of public servants "pathetic," and "an incredible disappointment."

At the time, the case was one of several acts of violence against mail carriers, including the shooting death of Aundre Cross during another robbery.

The Milwaukee branch of the National Association of Letter Carriers called for more safety measures for its members, including getting rid of the arrow keys to make them less attractive as a target for robbery.

In Washington, a bipartisan bill called the "Protect our Letter Carriers Act" is in a Congressional House committee.

It would equate penalties for assaulting a postal employee with penalties for assaulting a law enforcement officer.

It also would provide $7 billion over five years to replace arrow keys and collection boxes with electronic versions that can be deactivated and reprogrammed.

Nineteen-year-old Jesse Lee Hernandez also appeared in court Monday and was sentenced to six years in prison for one felony count of armed robbery and a felony count of fleeing an officer.

The other two robbery suspects were in court back in June.

Jose Federico-Flores was sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty to his role in the robberies.

True Serwin also pleaded guilty to two counts of felony armed robbery and will be sentenced later.

This Friday, Aug. 16, Christian Gustavo Lara-Maldonado will be sentenced for a separate crime: he pleaded guilty to shooting a man in the head last June, before the robberies.