A federal grand jury in San Jose has indicted a 32-year-old San Jose man, charging him with the robbery of a mail carrier in the Sunnyvale area.

U.S. Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey and U.S. Postal Inspector in Charge Rafael Nuñez said the.indictment against James Luna follows an announcement of multiple arrests made throughout the Bay Area in cases involving the interference with delivery of the U.S. mail.

According to papers filed in connection with the Luna case, on December 30, 2022, a person fitting Luna’s description approached a United States Postal Service mail carrier just before 4pm and demanded that the mail carrier hand over her postal keys.

The mail carrier reported that she could see the handle of a firearm sticking out of the robber’s pocket. “The mail carrier handed over the keys and the robber absconded with them,” said a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The keys are used to open United States Postal Service mailboxes in a designated area.

Luna is charged with robbery of a mail carrier, a federal felony that carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

In October, Ramsey and Nuñez held a press conference at which they discussed a recent increase in the theft of postal keys, break-ins of postal vehicles, assaults on letter carriers, and various other criminal acts involving interference with delivery of the mail. Ramsey said a surge in arrests throughout the Bay Area has resulted in several defendants now facing severe federal penalties.

The prosecution of this case is the result of an investigation by the United States Postal Inspection Service and Sunnyvale Police Department.