Police charge man in theft of mail from Maricopa addresses

A Maricopa man is accused of stealing mail from addresses in the city and beyond.

Austin Goins, 24, was arrested Nov. 18 at his home on West Peggy Court in Desert Passage and charged with aggravated taking identity of another person, according to police.

Goins, a suspect in several mail theft cases in September and October, was stopped by officers Oct. 24 for riding a bike without a light in the neighborhood, according to a probable cause statement. Found to have an active warrant in Maricopa Municipal Court, he was arrested.

During a physical search before he was taken to the police department, officers discovered about 20 pieces of mail addressed to several people with different Maricopa addresses, police said.

Goins was released that night after paying the bond on the warrant, police said.

Detectives subsequently identified Goins as a suspect in the previous mail theft cases. An earlier search warrant served at Goins’ house had led to the discovery of hundreds of pieces of mail from across the Phoenix region, police said.

Based on recent and past evidence, police arrested Goins this week, according to the probable cause statement. During an interview, Goins allegedly admitted to having the mail in his possession, saying he found it near an abandoned Maricopa home. Asked what he was going to do with it, he admitted he might have used it to “pay bills,” but did not, police said.

Goins was charged and taken to Pinal County Jail, where he remains in custody, according to online inmate records. He has a hearing set for Nov. 24.

Aggravated taking identity of another person is a class 3 felony. Conviction carries a maximum sentence of 8.75 years, according to criminal sentencing guidelines.