Mail thief who stole postal vehicles and mailbox keys sentenced to 3+ years in prison

Johny Mixayboua sentenced to
41 months in prison for mail theft

Seattle – A man who committed a series of mail vehicle and mail key thefts was sentenced Friday, March 8, 2024 in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 41 months in prison for theft of government property, mail theft, illegal transactions on access devices, and illegally possessing a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. 

Johny Mixayboua, 27, committed a string of mail theft incidents involving stolen postal vehicles, stolen postal keys, mail theft and associated crimes. 

The postal service had to halt deliveries in the zip code 98118 for about a week while investigators worked to track down and arrest Mixayboua.

He was active in apartment buildings in Lake Forest, which had 21 cases of mail theft from locking mailboxes in April 2023.

Mixayboua apparently was living in a vehicle near a relative’s home. He was arrested after running from officers. 

Law enforcement found a Polymer unregistered firearm – known as a ‘ghost gun’ - that Mixayboua threw into the bushes while attempting to run away. Mixayboua is prohibited from possessing firearms due to multiple felony convictions in King County for auto theft, possession of stolen property, and bail jumping.

In asking for a 41-month prison sentence, Assistant United States Attorney Elyne Vaught wrote to the court, 

“Beginning in December of 2022 up to his arrest in May of 2023, the defendant, Johny Mixayboua’s full-time job was to use stolen postal keys to steal mail from the residents of King County, leaving a trail of financial and sentimental loss along the way. 

"As the thefts increased, the United States Postal Service made the difficult decision to shut down mail service to an entire zip code, requiring residents, including the elderly and disabled, to physically come into the office to pick up their mail.” 

This case was investigated by U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS).