Milwaukee mail carriers robbed; 4 men sentenced to prison
Jose Federico-Flores, Jesse Hernandez, Christian Lara-Maldonado and True Serwin
MILWAUKEE - The last of four men convicted in connection to a pair of 2023 Milwaukee mail carrier robberies has been sentenced to prison.
Court records show 19-year-old True Serwin has been sentenced to eight years in prison. He pleaded guilty in June to two counts of armed robbery as part of a deal with prosecutors. He was also sentenced to 10 years of extended supervision.
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Jose Federico-Flores, 18, was sentenced to four years in prison and four years of extended supervision. He reached a plea deal in March and was convicted of armed robbery and fleeing police.
In June, 19-year-old Jesse Hernandez reached a plea deal and was convicted of armed robbery and fleeing police. Court records show he was sentenced in August to six years in prison and five years of extended supervision.
Christian Lara-Maldonado was sentenced in August to seven years in prison and eight years of extended supervision, court records show. The 22-year-old pleaded guilty to two counts of armed robbery in June, also part of a deal with prosecutors.
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Mail carrier robberies
According to a criminal complaint, each of the four men were involved in two armed robberies of postal workers on Nov. 6, 2023. Prosecutors said evidence showed all four of them were present and knew the robberies were going to be committed.
Hernandez provided a gun for both robberies, Serwin was the driver for both robberies, Lara-Maldonado admitted to directly participating in both robberies – and informed police that Federico-Flores directly participated in both robberies, per the complaint.
The complaint went on to say all four men were involved in selling a key stolen from a mail carrier, and were all in the same car used to commit the robberies when a police chase began.
Near 12th and Holt
The complaint said the first armed robbery happened around 10:20 a.m. near 12th and Holt. The mail carrier told police she was delivering mail when she saw three people with guns. She said they all "racked" their guns, and one of the suspects said: "Give me everything you got."
The mail carrier then handed the suspect her cellphone and her key to the USPS mail carrier vehicle, the complaint states. She stated another suspect took her mail bag from her shoulder – which had some personal items – and the package scanner that was holstered on her hip. She stated a different suspect stood by the others but did not speak or take items from her.
According to the complaint, the mail carrier also told police she saw the same suspect on the corner of 12th and Morgan "about five minutes prior to being 'robbed.'" She also provided descriptions of the suspects. Her cellphone was tracked and later recovered near 31st and Cleveland.
Near 48th and Euclid
The second armed robbery happened around 11:15 a.m. near 48th and Euclid, the complaint states. The mail carrier in this second robbery told police three people, armed with guns, "intentionally" took a set of keys from his belt and a set of "Arrow Keys" from his bag while he was still inside his USPS van.
The complaint said the mail carrier noticed three people standing in an alley nearby, and they were "suspicious because they were wearing black hoodies with the hoods up and black masks covering their mouths and noses in the warm weather."
The mail carrier went on to say two of the people had him at gunpoint while the third stood behind him, according to the complaint. He said all three said: "Give up the arrow key!" The mail carrier told police he thought one of the guns was fake because it had a red tip.
An officer who was dispatched to the robbery spotted three people running in an alley nearby as he approached the area, the complaint states.
Police chase ends near 30th and Cherry
Police chase
A couple of hours later, two other officers on patrol spotted a car leaving an alley that was suspected in one of the mail robberies. The complaint states officers tried to pull the car over, but the driver – later identified as Serwin – sped away. It sparked an 18-minute pursuit.
During the chase, the complaint said Lara-Maldonado bailed from the fleeing car in an alley and tried to get away on foot. He was arrested a short time later.
Three other people in the car being chased bailed from the vehicle near 30th and Cherry. The complaint said Hernandez was arrested in an alley after trying to run away, during which he dropped a gun. Serwin tried running away but was found hiding under a sheet of cardboard and arrested. A fourth passenger escaped.
When authorities searched the car, the complaint states they found a couple of handguns, a Daisy BB gun rifle, a black mask and a single unfired cartridge, among other identifying items.