Leader of Mail Theft Conspiracy, Former Ravn Alaska Supervisor Sentenced to Federal Prison

Anchorage, Alaska – U.S. Attorney Bryan Schroder announced today that a former Ravn Alaska supervisor has been sentenced for his lead role in a mail theft conspiracy, which involved stealing 60 Apple computers and over $100,000 worth of phones and tobacco products from the United States mail.   

Congress Lepou, 30, of Anchorage, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Sharon L. Gleason to serve 12 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.  In addition to his sentence, Lepou was ordered $199,143 in restitution.  In December 2018, Lepou pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy, one count of mail theft, and one count of possession of stolen mail.

According to court documents, Lepou was the leader of the mail theft conspiracy involving a total of six former Ravn employees.  Lepou and his co-defendant, Breadoflife Faiupu, abused their positions as supervisors at Ravn Alaska to steal computers from the mail, and then recruited those they supervised to help find buyers for the stolen computers.  The investigation further revealed that Faiupu and Lepou would then share the proceeds from the sales with those they were tasked to supervise, thus ensuring their silence. 

Specifically, from March 2015 to April 2017, Lepou and Faiupu used Ravn Alaska’s supervisor truck – intended for the transportation of mail from the U.S. Postal Service facility to Ravn airplanes for delivery to Alaska villages – to take articles stolen from the mail and drive them to the Ravn employee parking lot to load into their personal vehicles.  The stolen computers were intended for village schools.  Lepou and Faiupu recruited ramp agents Hubert Barte, Paulo Maae, Rogelio Daquis, as well as former ramp agent Harold Velicaria, to help find buyers for the stolen Apple computers.  The proceeds from the stolen computers were shared among the co-conspirators. 

During the course of the conspiracy, Lepou and Faiupu stole approximately 60 Apple computers from mail. The total approximate retail value of stolen Apple computers attributable to the conspiracy is $90,000. The majority of those computers were intended for delivery to school districts in Alaska villages.  Lepou also stole over $100,000 worth of phones and tobacco products from the mail intended for rural stores in addition to the computers. 

At the sentencing hearing, Judge Gleason noted the serious impact to village school districts and communities as a result of the defendant’s thefts.

The U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General (USPS-OIG), with the assistance of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), conducted the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of this case.  The Alaska State Trooper Technical Crimes Unit also assisted in the investigation.  This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Aunnie Steward.