An Alabama woman was sentenced to more than 22 years in federal prison for her role in the robbery of a North Mississippi Post Office and the shooting of the Postmaster during the robbery. Angela Roy, 36, of Wilmer, Alabama was sentenced to 270 months incarceration for her part in the September 23, 2016, armed robbery and discharge of a firearm at the Randolph, Mississippi Post Office. U.S. District Judge Michael P. Mills sentenced Roy to serve consecutive 150 month and 120-month terms for aiding and abetting in the armed robbery and discharge of a firearm during that robbery.
U.S. Postal Inspectors, Pontotoc Sheriff’s Deputies, and agents from the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation responded to 911 calls from a business neighboring the Randolph post office on September 23, 2016, when the Postmaster fled to the business after being shot during the robbery. Agents quickly converged on the Post Office and, with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service, identified Roy and her codefendant Thomas Scott as suspects. Evidence showed that Roy contacted the post office to make sure that it was open just minutes before she and Scott went to the building. Scott then entered the post office, pulled a gun and shot the Postmaster while Roy waited outside at the vehicle. Roy and Scott were arrested in Lockport, Louisiana on September 27, 2016 as they attempted to flee to Texas.
A jury in the Northern District convicted Roy at trial in October 2017. Thomas Scott, who pled guilty for his role in the same case, was sentenced in February to serve 195 months for committing the robbery and discharging the firearm.
U.S. Attorney William C. Lamar thanked the Pontotoc Police Department and Sheriff’s Department, Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office, the United States Marshal’s Office, the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation and the Office of the Inspector General for the United States Post Office for their efforts in investigating the case and apprehending the perpetrators.
Following the sentencing, U.S. Attorney Lamar stated: “The prosecution of violent criminals is always a top priority in this office and for this Administration. We appreciate the investigative efforts of our local, state and federal partners that helped insure that the individuals responsible for this heinous crime have been held accountable for their actions. We will continue to devote all available resources to see that those who seek gain by harming others in this community will not flourish or escape punishment for their violent acts.”
“Today’s sentencing of Angela Roy reinforces the message that criminals directly endangering the lives or safety of Postal Service employees will never be tolerated,” stated Inspector in Charge Adrian Gonzalez, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Houston Division. “The cooperation among federal, state, and local law enforcement was second to none. The Postal Inspection Service is fortunate to have such determined law enforcement partners working to ensure that Mississippi’s post offices remain safe places to conduct business.”
The case is an example of the ongoing efforts of the Project Safe Neighborhoods Initiative, which seeks to reduce violence and increase community safety through the combined efforts of local, state and federal investigators, prosecutors and community partners. The case was prosecuted by AUSA Paul Roberts and Robert H. Norman, Criminal Chief for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of Mississippi.
