Portland Man Charged with Stealing Mail

PORTLAND, Ore.- Michael John Peters, 42, of Portland, Oregon, has been charged with stealing mail from condominium and apartment complexes in Northwest and Southwest Portland.

According to court documents and information shared in court, from May to September 2025, Peters used counterfeit or modified postal keys to access mailboxes on at least 12 occasions. On September 23, 2025, U.S. Postal Inspectors executed a federal search warrant at an apartment in the Pearl District that Peters rented using a stolen identity. In the apartment, investigators found evidence of identity theft including approximately 300 pieces of U.S. mail that were not addressed to Peters, false identification documents, stolen identity documents, and counterfeit checks.

Peters made his first appearance in federal court yesterday before a U.S. Magistrate Judge. He was ordered detained pending further court proceedings.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case with assistance from the Portland Police Bureau. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Oregon is prosecuting the case.

A criminal complaint is only an accusation of a crime, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.