City of Austin

On Tuesday, December 3, 2024, members of the Austin Police (APD) North Austin Metro Tactical Unit received information on the whereabouts of a known fugitive, Jonathan Casarez-Perez. Officers confirmed Casarez-Perez was wanted for a charge of Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon related to APD Case 24-3240351.

Officers located Casarez-Perez' vehicle at a local hotel and observed him exit from the hotel and get into the vehicle. Officers conducted surveillance of the vehicle, with the assistance of APD Air Support, as it traveled throughout north Austin. During this time, Air Support captured footage of Casarez-Perez stealing mail from a residential mailbox.

Eventually, Casarez-Perez parked and officers were able to safely detain him. As a result of his arrest and the subsequent search of his vehicle, officers located and seized:

• A loaded handgun
• A counterfeit Arrow Key, used to access community mailboxes commonly located at apartment complexes, as well as several dozen USPS parcel keys
• Hundreds of items of stolen mail, including the mail stolen during surveillance
• Fraudulent and stolen identification, including bank cards, IDs and Passports
• Hundreds of items of unlawfully possessed Personal Identifying Information

Officers contacted the United States Postal Service Postal Inspectors Office (USPIS) and immediately began to coordinate the investigation with them, with a United States Postal Service (USPS) Postal Inspector responding directly to the scene.
 
Casarez-Perez was arrested for the warrant, as well as a number of new charges, including Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by Felon.
 
The investigation continued to move forward with direct collaboration with the U.S. Postal Inspector’s Office. 
 
As a result of the investigation, Casarez-Perez, entered a guilty plea in United States District Court Western District of Texas, Austin Division on Wednesday, January 1, 2026, for the following counts:

• Count 1 Possession of a Firearm by Felon
• Count 2 Aggravated Identity Theft

Casarez-Perez was sentenced to 54 months in prison and is required to pay restitution.
 
“This sentence sends a clear message that mail theft will not be tolerated, and the individuals responsible will be held accountable,” said Houston Division U.S. Postal Inspector in Charge Shameka Jackson. “The Postal Inspection Service remains committed to working alongside law enforcement partners to pursue and prosecute individuals who target postal customers.”
 
Austin Police would like to educate the public on the rise in these types of crimes, which include large volume mail theft from community mailboxes, as well as the fraud and financial crimes associated with these thefts. Suspects of these thefts commonly utilize stolen Personal Identifying Information (PII) to fraudulently obtain credit, create fake identifications, cash checks found in mail, and utilize stolen bank cards for financial gain.
 
We encourage members of our community to ensure there are camera systems covering community mailrooms and mailboxes, to be aware and report suspicious activity related to these areas, remain diligent in monitoring their mail, and regularly check their credit history to detect fraudulent uses and purchases as soon as possible.
 
We will continue to work to disrupt and prosecute these crimes with the assistance of our partners at the United States Postal Service.
 
Jonathan Casarez Perez (35 years of age)