Las Vegas man charged with stealing mail-in ballots, credit cards
A Las Vegas man was charged Friday with stealing a pair of mail-in ballots, along with an unemployment benefits debit card and dozens of other debit and credit cards, the Department of Justice said.
Francisco Luis McArthur, 41, who was arrested a day before the election, faces one count of possession of stolen mail and one count of possession of 15 or more unauthorized access devices, according to a news release.
“Theft of U.S. mail is a serious federal crime, particularly when it occurs just days before a general election,” Nevada U.S. Attorney Nicholas Trutanich said in the release. “Our office looks forward to continuing working closely with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service to investigate and prosecute mail theft.”
Prosecutors said that on Nov. 2 authorities found McArthur with a box containing more than 100 pieces of mail not in McArthur’s name, including two Clark County absentee ballots. He faces up to 15 years behind bars.
Along with the absentee ballots “addressed to victims,” a criminal complaint stated, McArthur had seven phony credit and debit cards, 16 cards in other peoples’ names, including one for unemployment insurance benefits and keys to open mailboxes. It was unclear whether the victims had mailed the ballots or had not yet received them.
McArthur told U.S. Postal Inspector Jeff Excell that he had used the mailbox key to access gated neighborhoods and community mailboxes, and took mail from the mailboxes and dumpsters “to try and find anything of value,” the complaint stated.
Contact David Ferrara at dferrara@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039. Follow @randompoker on Twitter.