A Buffalo man was arrested Thursday and charged in connection to a 2024 armed robbery of a U.S. postal service key and subsequent complaints of stolen and altered checks.
Kaevon Raymere Leonard, 33, was charged with unauthorized possession of a U.S. postal service key. If convicted, Leonard faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
According to U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo, the serial number on the arrow key — which grants its holder access to several hundred USPS blue collection boxes in Western New York — matched the serial number of a key taken from a USPS letter carrier at gunpoint in July 2024. Soon after the theft, law enforcement received numerous complaints of mailed checks in the region that were altered and cashed but those other than their intended recipients.
During the investigation, images of Leonard with an arrow key were discovered on social media, including a July 2024 photo with the caption "Willing to die behind this metal it’s a trophy takes alot to understand me if you know me #vizagangceo."
Police executed a search warrant at Leonard's North Park Avenue residence on Sept. 23, 2025. During a search of Leonard, the key was recovered. It was not immediately clear what caused the 11-month gap between the discovery of the key and Leonard's arrest.
DiGiacomo added that further investigation uncovered additional evidence to suggest Leonard recruited "mules" to cash altered checks.