Police found mail stolen from over 200 people earlier this week while searching a man’s south Salem apartment.
The Salem Police Department said on Thursday that detectives had finished sorting through the documents seized as part of the nearly two-year-long mail theft investigation which resulted in the arrest of Ross B. Sierzega, 33.
Police do not know what parts of Salem the mail came from because they only know the names of the owners, according to department spokeswoman Angela Hedrick.
Salem police created a webpage people can use to retrieve their personal documents. Salem residents who believe their mail may have been stolen can check if their names are on the list of victims police have identified.
Those whose names are listed can complete a form to start the process of getting their documents back, Salem police said in a news release.
People must pick up their own mail and present valid identification, such as a state-issued ID or driver license.
Items can be picked up at the Salem Police Station, 333 Division St. N.E., Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Any unopened mail investigators collected will be returned to owners by the U.S. Postmaster.
Any Salem residents who have been victims of mail theft but not yet reported it are asked to report to police at salempd.info/online-report, as well as to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service online or by calling 1-877-876-2455.
Police said any victims of identity theft should visit the Federal Trade Commission’s Identity Theft website for helpful information and register an identity theft alert with the three major consumer reporting companies – Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.
Sierzega was arrested Monday on charges of possessing a firearm and body armor as a felon, unlawful possession of a short-barreled shotgun, identity theft, forgery, criminal possession of a forged instrument and possessing burglary tools. He also had 11 outstanding warrants for his arrest.
Police said they seized two lock cores taken from multi-address mail boxes, several counterfeit mail box keys and tools used to make them, multiple checks, bank cards, and financial documents not in Sierzega’s name, and about 30 pounds of mail.
Under federal law, making counterfeit mail keys carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison if convicted.
Sierzega appeared Tuesday in U.S. District Court on a warrant based on charges of mail theft, aggravated identity theft and five counts of bank fraud.
The charges allege that he used stolen credit cards to withdraw at least $16,000 from Wells Fargo accounts in early 2023. He is also accused of working with a person not identified in the indictment to steal from a mailbox on North Rivercrest Drive in Keizer.
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Salem man accused of stealing enormous amount of mail faces federal charges
Contact reporter Ardeshir Tabrizian: [email protected] or 503-929-3053.
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Ardeshir Tabrizian has covered criminal justice and housing for Salem Reporter since September 2021. As an Oregon native, his award-winning watchdog journalism has traversed the state. He has done reporting for The Oregonian, Eugene Weekly and Malheur Enterprise.
