KY man, woman plead guilty after stealing and reselling phones worth $50K
Two people pleaded guilty to federal charges related to mail theft after they were found stealing phones through the mail and reselling them for a profit of nearly $20,000.
On Monday, John Travis Howard and Trina Howard both pleaded guilty to a count of conspiracy to abstract and remove articles and things contained in mail, according to the plea agreement.
John Howard had access to packages being shipped in the mail through his work, where he would identify packages that had cell phones inside and take the phones without permission, according to court documents.
The plea agreement did not state where John Howard worked.
John Howard would then give the phones to Trina Howard, who would sell them at ecoATMs and to private individuals, according to court documents. The phones were valued at $50,000.
In total, the two received $19,609 for the sale of 150 phones over 10 years, the documents said. The phones were stolen in Fayette and Mercer counties.
Both John and Trina Howard face a maximum sentence of five years in prison, a fine of $250,000 and supervised release for three years. The sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 20, 2026.
