Alleged South Bay Postal Thieves Found With Over 1,500 Pieces of Stolen Mail

KRON4 ^ | Feb 27, 2026 | Tor Smith

[nickcarraway]

Following months of investigation, a married San Jose couple faces a long-list of charges after Mountain View police said multiple search warrants in the Bay Area led them to discover more than 1,500 pieces of stolen mail.

Mountain View police said the case started with a mail theft case in the 500 block of W. Middlefield Road.

“During the investigation, Crime Suppression Unit (CSU) detectives worked in coordination with patrol officers to develop actionable leads,” said police in a statement to KRON4. “Subsequent follow-up by CSU detectives resulted in the identification of two suspects.”

The suspected duo, identified as Terri Maciel, 47, and Ruben Maciel, 34, was taken into custody a few weeks later by Mountain View police night-shift patrol team officers.

Authorities said, “On Jan. 16, CSU detectives executed multiple search warrants in the Bay Area. During the search warrant execution, detectives recovered more than 1,500 pieces of stolen mail, including items belonging to over 1,000 addresses in Mountain View and neighboring cities. Additionally, detectives recovered tools and equipment used to manufacture fraudulent identification cards.”

The husband and wife were booked on several charges, including identity theft and mail theft with a prior conviction, forgery, burglary and criminal conspiracy. Terri Maciel had an outstanding warrant from the South San Francisco Police Department while Ruben Maciel has also been charged with a parole violation, according to Mountain View police.

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TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; News/Current Events; US: California
KEYWORDS: crackifornia

[Buck-Toothed Knuckle Dragger]

Meh. It’s California, where crime is legal.

[Equine1952]

Probably why I get calls for loans I didn’t apply for and don’t need. They don’t even get my name right. I’d change my phone number (12345) but that’s a pain in the azz too. /s

[FreedomPoster]

The Atlanta area had problems like this pre-Covid, so more than half a dozen years ago. I really hate putting checks in the mail and recommend everyone avoid it. My town back then had multiple cases where people were having checks stolen out of the mail, washed, re-written for high 4-figures, and cashed. Huge problem for the account holder and the banks. Definitely happening on the inside at the Post Office, whether the local one in our suburb or in the regional facility, who knows?