Colorado man who stole from mailboxes in three cities for a year sentenced to prison

A Colorado Springs man who forged a set of keys from dinner knives to break into apartment building mailboxes in three Front Range cities was sentenced Wednesday to five years in federal prison.

Adam Christopher Turner, 41, fashioned master keys to large "cluster boxes" in Peyton, Colorado Springs and Parker, according to prosecutors. Turner was arrested in May 2024 by deputies from the El Paso County Sheriff's Office. At that time, investigators needed a moving truck, two vans and four tow trucks to transport all the evidence gathered at Turner's residence and storage unit, according to CBS affiliate KKTV.

That evidence included license plates and driver's licenses, credit and debit cards, electronics, tools, clothing, as well as drugs and guns. Many more items found had been purchased by Turner using stolen credit and debit cards, according to case documents.

As reported last year by CBS Colorado, Turner made several purchases - thousands of dollars each - using the stolen cards. 

Turner, accused of committed mail and identity theft for more than a year, was charged with more than 50 counts by El Paso County prosecutors. He already a convicted felon on probation at the time of his arrest and was not permitted to own a firearm.

Because the thefts involved the United States Postal Inspection Service, Turner's case was ultimately transferred in federal court in Denver. A federal grand jury indicted him on 11 counts. Facing trial, Turner pleaded guilty to two counts in December.

Federal prosecutors estimated the total loss to at least 16 of Turner's victims at more than $43,000.