Sponsors
The bill strengthens deterrence and may reduce losses from mail theft by raising penalties, but it raises public incarceration costs and risks worsening racial and socioeconomic sentencing disparities absent additional procedural safeguards.
Individuals and small businesses: stronger deterrence from doubling mail-theft penalties (up to 10 years) could reduce theft, lost property, and related fraud.
Victims of mail theft (individuals and small businesses): fewer losses and less identity/fraud exposure if higher penalties lower offense rates.
Racial and socioeconomic minority communities: increasing maximum penalties without added procedural safeguards could exacerbate racial and socioeconomic disparities in sentencing outcomes.
Low-income and unemployed defendants: longer maximum sentences may fall hardest on those unable to afford robust defenses, increasing unequal justice outcomes.
Taxpayers: longer potential prison terms for mail theft offenders are likely to increase incarceration costs borne by the public.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Introduced February 13, 2025 by Ken Calvert · Last progress February 13, 2025
Raises the maximum federal prison term for mail theft by changing the criminal penalty in federal law from up to five years to up to ten years, and includes a standard short-title provision. The change amends the federal mail-theft statute and takes effect when the law is enacted.