SEATTLE — An Eastlake mailing service is recovering after thieves broke in to steal packages, letters, notary seals, and a printer.
Lake Union Mail employee, Kate Stone, told KIRO 7 two suspects used a crowbar to break into the shop. She says surveillance video showed them walking to a dark-colored SUV parked nearby.
“We have packages all over the store, and it looks like they grabbed whatever they could off of the shelves that was easy pickings,” Stone explained.
She says the thieves were in and out in 12 minutes.
“It’s terrible. I mean, there are break-ins, you know, up and down, Eastlake,” said Lincoln, a regular customer.
Workers say packages, mail and notary seals are missing. They say thieves damaged the store’s wall where the printer had been forcibly removed, damaging much of the electrical wiring.
Some of the stolen mail was recovered at various locations up to half a mile away from Lake Union Mail, though much of it remains missing.
Stone says some customers experienced fraudulent activity on their personal accounts shortly after the break-in, particularly those who had credit cards delivered to the mail service.
“A few people had credit cards that they had ordered here and we understand that they told us that those credit cards had been used in the last couple of days or tried to have been used at local stores,” Stone said.
For many Eastlake residents, Lake Union Mail has been a dependable community staple for decades.
“Folks, they stop by. They not only get mail and everything, but they kind of just stop by, and they chat. They’ve been coming here for decades. So yeah, it’s definitely a big hit for the community,” said mail clerk, Makayla Baker-Curtis.
The business says it’s upping security to protect both its facility and customers’ mail.
“We’re going to make sure that every single person who comes here feels secure and safe and able to ship packages and receive packages and their mail without any fear because that’s the most important thing that we do and the trust of our customers is the most important thing that we have,” Stone promised.
Stealing mail is a federal offense under 18 U.S. Code § 1708. It can result in significant fines and imprisonment depending on the severity of the case. The law covers various forms of mail theft, including taking mail from a mailbox or post office, obtaining it through fraud, or possessing mail that you know is stolen. Mail theft can also be prosecuted at the state level, but the federal government often takes on cases involving large-scale or interstate mail theft.
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