Woman launches own investigation into South Side post office over stolen mail
Mone't Austin said she knew something was up when she didn't get a government check for $1,000 in the mail.
Watch CBS News
Mone't Austin said she knew something was up when she didn't get a government check for $1,000 in the mail.
A Chicago man has been sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty to burglary charges stemming from multiple mail thefts on the Northwest Side.
Joshua Walder, 24, was arrested on Aug. 26, as a result of a joint investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Chicago Police Department.
The service said the alleged suspect targeted multiple buildings in the West Loop and Fulton Market neighborhoods.
Despite the residents’ best efforts to protect themselves, thieves keep coming into buildings with postal keys and stealing. Jermont Terry reports.
A man has been charged in a string of nearly a dozen burglaries and mail thefts in downtown Chicago and on the North Side since September 2024.
A Chicago couple has gotten a refund for the value of packages they say an Uber courier driver stole.
Dylan Smith, 35, pleaded guilty to using a postal service key to steal mail from a condo building's panel mailbox.
Donald Hill, 35, was arrested on Thursday, March 20, in the 6900 block of West Belmont Avenue.
Mail thefts spike in January for clear reasons; so scam artists can get tax information to fill out fake tax returns to get refund checks.
Police had only vague descriptions of the thieves, who were both wearing hoodies and masks.
According to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, mail theft complaints have soared 327% since 2018. CBS Consumer Correspondent Ash-har Quraishi reports that the USPS has known about this for decades.
The USPIS said the man has been entering corporate and residential buildings around downtown Chicago since December.
U.S. postal inspectors said Jonathan Minter, 37, was spotted on surveillance video using what appears to be a postal master key to open up an entire set of mailboxes in a building.
Jonathan Minter was identified as the suspect responsible for numerous apartment and condo building mail thefts between 2022 and 2024.
Chicago Police say the man was suspected of stealing mail.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is offering a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of a suspect accused of stealing letters from mailboxes.
Kalea Blanke faces burglary and identity theft charges for mail thefts at Chicago condos and apartments dating back to 2021.
The woman is accused of using postal keys – and stealing countless pieces of mail for years. She is even accused of stealing one person’s identity. CBS 2's Jermont Terry reports.
"They must be desperate to be doing something like that, so my heart really goes out to them."
The man can be seen early Friday morning methodically checking each of the six mail slots and taking out the mail before closing it back up.
Protecting the mail is the U.S. Postal Inspectors' (USPIS) job. The agency's data shows it hasn't made a dent in investigating or arresting those accused of mail theft in the past few years. CBS 2's Sabrina Franza reports.
Police said the two men, 32 and 33, were shot by an unknown person inside an apartment in South Austin on Wednesday evening.
Garcia-Espinal formerly worked at the Sunset Ridge School, where, in 2020, he allegedly hid a video camera in a school bathroom and recorded students and staff without their knowledge or consent.
Northwestern now has a seven-game winning streak against the Hoosiers.
As families work to rebuild their lives after tornadoes touched down in the Chicago area and northwest Indiana on Tuesday, questions over whether the federal government will help out will likely be a focal point down the road.
A family in Aroma Park may have lost their home in the Illinois tornado that tore through Tuesday night, but they have their lives and for that, they are grateful.
A new Iowa law bans local nondiscrimination protections on the basis of gender identity after the state became the first in the U.S. to roll back its civil rights code last year.
Illinois state Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago) announced Wednesday that he has introduced legislation to rename part of Chicago's Dan Ryan Expressway in honor of the late Rev. Jesse Jackson.
A former Illinois mayor who is the subject of a federal investigation has taken her political aspirations to the metro Atlanta area.
Mayor Brandon Johnson has called off – for now – a bid to impose new polling place protections in Chicago in an attempt to prohibit federal immigration agents from entering so-called "democracy zones" while voters are at the polls.
About 30 U.S. service members remained hospitalized Tuesday after an Iranian drone strike in Kuwait.
For Cook County residents hoping to lower their property tax bills, applications are open for exemptions.
Officials in the north Chicago suburb of Wilmette issued a warning Tuesday about scammers who are impersonating representatives of village departments.
The war with Iran is causing gas prices to surge, with motorists in Chicago and around the country guaranteed to feel the impact at the pump Monday morning.
There's no relief in sight for drivers at the pump as the war in Iran is directly driving up the cost of gas. Analysts expect more of the same unless something changes soon.
Drivers in the Chicago area can expect to start paying more at the pump this week, as oil prices have spiked amid the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.
A new Iowa law bans local nondiscrimination protections on the basis of gender identity after the state became the first in the U.S. to roll back its civil rights code last year.
Food containing norovirus may smell and taste normal but still cause serious illness if consumed, FDA warns.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker on Monday announced a $1.5 billion investment from biotherapeutics company CSL for a new plasma therapy manufacturing plant in Kanakee.
When a doctor was told there was no cure for his daughter's condition, he was motivated to transform not only her health, but the lives of thousands of others.
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital announced this week that it is planning to open a new pediatric hospital in the west Chicago suburb of Downers Grove.
Despite a rash of restaurant closures, veterans of the plant-based food business pushed back against prophecies of doom — and in one case argued that such closures notwithstanding, plant-based eating is only growing.
Two popular Chicago craft breweries – Half Acre Beer Co. and Maplewood Brewery & Distillery – announced on Tuesday they are merging to create a new "premier Chicago beverage company."
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker on Monday announced a $1.5 billion investment from biotherapeutics company CSL for a new plasma therapy manufacturing plant in Kanakee.
Capital One is laying off more than 1,100 workers at the former Discover headquarters in north suburban Riverwoods.
A new development at the southeast corner of Chicago's East Lakeview community would clear away a medical office building and replace it with a residential high-rise.
A play inspired by the story of Emmett Till has now been extended twice past its initial run at Collaboraction Theatre in Humboldt Park.
Jennifer Runyon, a Chicago native who became famous as an actress appearing in "Ghostbusters" and "Charles in Charge," died last week.
A woman was arrested on Sunday for firing multiple shots at the Beverly Hills home of Rihanna, Los Angeles Police Department officials say.
Actor and filmmaker Bruce Campbell told fans that he is in treatment for cancer and will cancel some upcoming public appearances.
Singer-songwriter Neil Sedaka, known for his hits like "Laughter in the Rain," "Breaking Up is Hard to Do" and "Calendar Girl," has died.
The school says it shows how intelligent systems are built, deployed, and used responsibly.
Storm chaser Freddie Bryant, who followed Tuesday night's storms from Pontiac, Illinois, all the way to the Indiana-Michigan state line, describes the "extremely dangerous" experience following tornadoes into the night.
Chief Meteorologist Albert Ramon has the latest on when the city will experience winds of up to 60 mph.
As families work to rebuild their lives after tornadoes touched down in the Chicago area and northwest Indiana on Tuesday, questions over whether the federal government will help out will likely be a focal point down the road.
The couple has been identified as Ed Kozlowski, 89, and his wife, Arlene, 86. The family said they were in the process of planning their grandfather's 90th birthday at the home the couple had lived in for years.
The National Weather Service so far has confirmed an EF-1 touchdown in Jasper County, Indiana.
The family said Tuesday night's tornado leveled the couple's home.
A CTA bus driver was brutally attacked on Monday while in uniform in the Back of the Yards neighborhood.
Police said the two men, 32 and 33, were shot by an unknown person inside an apartment in South Austin on Wednesday evening.
Garcia-Espinal formerly worked at the Sunset Ridge School, where, in 2020, he allegedly hid a video camera in a school bathroom and recorded students and staff without their knowledge or consent.
A Chicago senior citizen said his phone has been ringing off the hook with hundreds of unwanted spam calls that have made his beloved landline virtually unusable. New efforts in Springfield could bring real relief.
A proposed Illinois law hopes to create more oversight on private companies to protect consumers from skyrocketing utility prices.
The three women said they are working to make their way back home, but without any help from the U.S. State Department.
If you feel like you're drowning in a sea of text alerts and desperate email pleas for "just $5" this election season, you are far from alone.
A north suburban school bus driver became a victim of sophisticated scammers who are targeting more people and more vulnerable populations to make more money.
Northwestern now has a seven-game winning streak against the Hoosiers.
Chicago's Jalen Smith converted two free throws with 1.4 seconds left in regulation to send the game into OT, and Tre Jones contributed 22 points for the Bulls
The Detroit Lions are losing another player, this time it's wide receiver Kalif Raymond, who is reportedly heading to the Chicago Bears.
Chicago, which had lost three in a row, including a 4-3 setback to Dallas on Sunday night, has now won all three meetings with Utah this season, with the teams' fourth and final game of the season scheduled for Thursday night.
The Chicago Bears have been busy bolstering their defense on the first day of free agency, signing linebacker Devin Bush Jr., safety Coby Bryant, and defensive tackle Neville Gallimore, according to reports.
A man was shot and killed on the street in the midday hours Wednesday in Chicago's West Garfield Park neighborhood.
Park rangers cited the four visitors, all from Illinois, for collecting and defacing park resources.
A woman has been charged in a road rage shooting that left someone injured this past weekend on the Dan Ryan Expressway.
A Lake County judge ordered a Fox Lake woman to remain behind bars on Tuesday, following her arrest on charges accusing her of abusing her 11-year-old son for years.
A 75-year-old man was due for a detention hearing Tuesday in a shooting that killed two women, ages 68 and 71, on Chicago's Far South Side this past weekend.
