MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. — Authorities arrested a Hialeah man on Tuesday after they said he donned United States Postal Service attire for a mail-stealing spree near Miami International Airport that a sheriff’s deputy aborted.
According to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, Erickson Ostilien targeted mailboxes at at least three building in the Waterford Business District, located south of the Dolphin Expressway in an unincorporated section of the county near the Blue Lagoon.
Deputies said they received a call about Ostilien, 28, at around 4:30 p.m. and later found him parked in a gray Honda at 5200 Waterford District Drive.
An arrest report states that Ostilien got out of the car wearing a USPS uniform and had a USPS mail bin with him.
Deputies said Ostilien claimed to be a USPS employee “doing his duty,” but couldn’t provide identification.
“Mr. Ostilien continued looking at his phone for a picture, while acting very nervous, avoiding eye contact and even attempting to tie his shoes,” the report states. “Since Mr. Ostilien couldn’t identify himself and acted irrationally, he was detained to further investigate this matter.”
A pat-down, deputies said, revealed that he had a large USPS key to open mailboxes; they said they found another key in his car. The mail bin had 88 pieces of stolen mail, authorities said.
The report states that investigators were able to confirm that Ostilien did not, in fact, work for USPS.
Authorities arrested him on charges of unlawfully possessing five or more stolen identifications and obtaining property by false personation.
The arrest report states that the deputy sought to additionally arrest him on 88 charges of mail theft, but couldn’t enter it into the system. That charge isn’t listed in jail records, either, and it wasn’t clear whether he’s facing those charges as of Wednesday.
Jail records show Ostilien was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on a $15,000 bond. If he posts the bond, he’ll have to prove the funds came from a legitimate source.
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