Boston woman pleads guilty to knife-wielding USPS workers in 2022

A Boston woman pleaded guilty Wednesday to two armed robberies of U.S. Postal Service mail carriers in 2022, Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy’s office said.

Miesha Lewis, 22, pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston to two counts of aiding and abetting the robbery of any person lawfully in possession, control, or custody of any mail or any money or other property of the United States and incitement and two counts of assault, resisting or obstructing certain officers or employees, aiding and abetting.

Chief U.S. District Court Judge Dennis Saylor IV scheduled Lewis’ sentencing for Feb. 10, 2025, Levy’s office said in a statement.

November 29, 2022 Lewis and Kenneth Demostheneswho was also charged in connection with those incidents, stole an arrow key from a USPS employee.

“I’m going to need your master key,” Demosthenes said before reaching into the worker’s knapsack and grabbing the key. The key was attached to the postman’s belt by a brass chain, which broke when Demosthenes pulled on it, causing the postman to be dragged down the steps of the house. Then the two ran away.

Less than a month later, on Dec. 16, the two robbed another USPS mail carrier in Hyde Park, Levy’s office said.

“Give me your f***ing arrow key,” Demosthenes told the USPS employee.

The worker raised his hands as the two tried to take the arrow key, the statement said. They first tried to pull the key from the chain, then cut the chain with a knife and escaped with the arrow key.

Each count of robbing any person having lawful control, control, or custody of any mail or any money or other property of the United States is punishable by up to 25 years in prison, with at least three years of supervised release . and a fine of up to $250,000. Charges of assaulting, resisting or obstructing certain officers or employees carry a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.

“(The USPS) is seeing an increase in the use of arrow keys to facilitate the theft of US mail,” the statement said. “The arrow key is a special key designed to open designated blue USPS collection boxes in a specific area. These arrow keys are the property of the USPS and possession by an unauthorized person is a federal crime.”

According to Levy’s office, since July 2022, there have been at least 23 attacks on mail carriers while they were working in Boston and surrounding cities. This includes attempted or successful robberies of the arrow keys. Of these 23 incidents, 15 were armed robberies.

In October 2024, Demosthenes was sentenced to three years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.