Ocala men plead guilty to postal robbery spree

By Caroline Brauchler caroline@ocalagazette.com

Two Ocala men have pleaded guilty to their involvement in a spree of armed robberies of postal carriers across the state.

Jacoby Jules Colon, 20, and Darius Rodney Capers, 19, worked together to rob three postal carriers at gunpoint through September and October of 2022, according to the United States Attorney’s Office.

Colon was charged with and pleaded guilty to conspiring to rob postal carriers, armed postal robbery and brandishing a firearm to further a violent crime. Capers was charged with and pleaded guilty to conspiring to rob postal carriers and attempted robbery of a postal carrier, according to a press release from U.S. Attorney Roger Handberg. On Sept. 14, 2022, the pair robbed a postal carrier in Fort Lauderdale, then stole his “arrow key,” which can be used to open U.S. Postal Services boxes in a particular ZIP code. They then moved on to Orlando, when, on Oct. 4 and 6, 2022, they robbed two more postal carriers and also stole their arrow keys. Colon brandished a firearm in the final robbery, and Capers served as the getaway driver in all three robberies. They attempted to rob a fourth carrier at the end of that month, but backed off when the carrier resisted, according to the release. Searches were conducted at the homes of both men in Ocala, as well as a hotel the men were staying at in Orlando. On Jan. 11, 2023, Capers’ Ocala home was raided and searched the Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) and its SWAT team.

“The residence was then relinquished to (United States Postal Inspection Service) investigators who located four handguns and a shotgun inside the location,” according to an incident report from MCSO detailing the search.

Between the three locations, investigators found firearms, ski masks, stolen mail and fraudulent checks. The men said the purpose of the thefts was to commit check fraud, according to the release.

Colon’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for Sept. 20, where he faces up to five years in federal prison for conspiracy, up to 25 years for robbery and up to a life sentence for the firearm offense, according to the release.

Capers’ sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 18, where he faces up to 15 years in federal prison for conspiracy, robbery and attempted robbery, according to the release.