The Milwaukee County Criminal Courts tells Inside Edition Digital that the 14 suspects have not yet entered pleas and no court dates have been announced.
Suspected members of an alleged postal theft ring in Milwaukee who authorities say called themselves “scamily”are facing a number of charges including racketeering, according to the criminal complaint obtained by Inside Edition Digital.
Fourteen people who range in age from 18 to 25 from the Milwaukee area were charged last week and are accused of running an elaborate armed robbery ring that targeted mail carriers, according to Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
They also face additional charges of forgery, racketeering and money laundering, according to the 77-count criminal complaint.
The complaint was filed Wednesday in Milwaukee County Circuit Court, accusing all 14 men of participating in "a pattern of racketeering activity" from Oct. 25, 2022, to Nov. 7, 2023.
The complaint alleges that the group had a conspiracy which involved using firearms to intimidate U.S. mail carriers to hand over their master keys and then using the keys to steal mail from postal boxes.
The group is also accused of unlawfully obtaining checks or money orders and altering them in a way to get cash or things of value or by selling them electronically, according to the complaint.
"A lot of the allegations are supported by evidence that was recovered as a result of warrants done for people’s social media accounts," Milwaukee County Assistant District Attorney Nick Heitman told FOX 6.
Five of the 14 suspects were charged in May in connection with at least five incidents of mail carriers who were robbed. The charges included felony counts of armed robbery, theft of mail, possession of a dangerous weapon by a minor, and attempted robbery with the use of force, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Four of the suspects have entered pleas of not guilty in those federal charges and one of the men has entered into a plea agreement with federal authorities in his case, the US District Court of the Eastern District of Wisconsin Court Clerk tells Inside Edition Digital.
Those five suspects were already behind bars when the recent complaint was filed, according to reports.
Inside Edition Digital has reached out multiple times to the Milwaukee County District Attorneys Office for comment and has not heard back.
The Milwaukee County Criminal Courts tells Inside Edition Digital that the 14 suspects have not yet entered pleas on the new charges and no court dates have been announced.
The Milwaukee County Criminal Courts also tells Inside Edition Digital that no attorneys for each defendant have been listed at this time.
Inside Edition Digital has reached out to the U.S. Attorneys Office of the Eastern District of Wisconsin for comment on this case and has not heard back.
