KTRV Fox 12 Mail Fraud Case Affects Hundreds of Boise Residents
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Boise, Idaho -- What started as a drug bust has turned into one of the biggest mail fraud cases ever in the city of Boise.
"Several weeks ago, I received information about a drug house in the 3900 block of Palouse Street," said officer Will Reimers of the Boise Police Department.
Once officers executed a search warrant they found something they weren't expecting.
"We discovered lots and lots of stolen mail and drug paraphernalia and drugs as well methamphetamine, which was the main drug at the location," said Reimers.
Although officers had an idea that the suspect had stolen some mail, they never suspected she had this much.
"We are estimating between 200 and 300 victims and that would be different addresses from where this mail came from," said detective Wade Spain, Boise Police Department.
The area in particular is vast. Officials believe it spans between Orchard Street east to Broadway Avenue and south of Overland. It's within that area that 24-year-old Robin A. Wilson managed to steal hundreds of pieces of mail in only two to three weeks.
"We have incoming mail where people were receiving credit cards, and birthday cards, and movies, magazines and all sorts of other things," said Spain.
Authorities believe Wilson was stealing mail to help fund her drug habit. They say this type of crime is on the rise.
"As drug crimes increase we see an increase in financial crimes so as we grow here, those crimes increase. We will see more because the two go hand in hand," said Spain.
For now, the stolen mail has been turned over to U.S. Postal Service investigators. Within two to three weeks they will send out notices by mail to the victims of Wilson's crime spree.
"There are nationwide trends where this occurs we definitely caution people not to think this can't happen in Boise because it can happen and it will happen again," said Reimers.
