He called stolen USPS arrow keys “keys to the city,” wore a diamond necklace shaped like one and used the stolen master keys in a mail-theft scheme tied to approximately $963,000 in losses.
Between October 2024 and May 2025, 32-year-old Tidarian Williams used stolen U.S. Postal Service arrow keys to access cluster mailboxes throughout Charlotte, North Carolina, and steal mail containing checks, credit cards and other financial instruments. Arrow keys are master keys used by the U.S. Postal Service to access multiple mailboxes. Court records show Williams initially targeted outdoor mailboxes at night before becoming increasingly brazen and entering businesses and residential buildings during the day to break into cluster mailboxes located inside lobbies. Williams specifically searched for checks, credit cards and other financial instruments that he could use himself or sell to others. His thefts affected businesses and residents throughout the Charlotte area, and at least one property became so concerned about repeated mail theft that it hired a guard to physically monitor its mailroom. Authorities linked approximately $963,000 in losses to Williams’s scheme, which involved at least 10 victims. Williams used stolen credit cards and other financial instruments to purchase luxury goods, jewelry and other items. He also sold or offered to sell stolen checks and additional USPS arrow keys, which he referred to as “keys to the city.” Williams even had a custom diamond necklace made in the shape of a USPS arrow key. Photos included with federal court records show Williams wearing the necklace and posing outside a post office. In April 2025, law enforcement responded to a mail theft in progress and postal inspectors saw Williams driving away from the scene. Inspectors blocked his vehicle and attempted to stop him. When one postal inspector exited his vehicle and approached Williams, Williams drove onto the sidewalk and struck the federal officer with his vehicle, causing minor injuries. Williams then sped away, driving recklessly at a high rate of speed and nearly striking a pedestrian. On October 24, 2025, Williams pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a USPS arrow key and theft of mail matter. On August 11, 2026, Williams was sentenced to 42 months in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release.
