Coin Thief Sentenced to Federal Prison
Pamela Jo Rosas (image source: Facebook)
A Beaumont, Texas, woman charged with stealing mail including more than $500,000 of rare coins and bullion items has been sentenced to federal prison, U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs announced in a March 5 statement.
Pamela Jo Rosas, 65, pleaded guilty to theft of mail by a postal employee and was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone.
According to information presented in court, in April 2020, postal inspectors began receiving complaints that a series of parcels containing valuable coins were missing after being placed in the post office for delivery. Federal agents conducted surveillance and identified a postal employee, Rosas, as a subject involved in the theft after viewing her handling packages in a suspicious manner. Rosas was also found in possession of several pieces of stolen mail packages after leaving work.
Rosas admitted to stealing many items from the post office during the previous three to four years. Agents were able to recover hundreds of valuable coins from her apartment, along with other items Rosas had stolen from the mail during the course of her employment.
Another suspect in the case was Rosa’s adult son, Christopher Jude Rosas, who died before he could be tried in state district court or agree to a plea deal.
The stolen 1845 Dahlonega Mint Liberty Head $5 gold coin that helped investigators track down Texas coin theft suspects. (Image courtesy Universal Coin & Bullion.)
One of the stolen items was a Dahlonega Mint 1845 Liberty $5 gold coin with a retail value of about $14,000, stolen from a shipment from Universal Coin & Bullion in Beaumont. The coin turned up at a local store, Heartfield’s Fine Jewelry & Rare Coins in Beaumont, court records revealed. A store customer purchased the coin at Heartfield’s and entered its serial number into Numismatic Guaranty Company’s (NGC) database. That was when the customer was alerted that the coin had been reported stolen.
“Investigators determined the person who sold the coin to the store was Christopher Jude Rosas, 39, who reportedly had sold numerous coins at the shop,” said Michael Fuljenz, president of Universal Coin & Bullion.
The 1845-D $5 gold coin was determined to be a match to one of the many that were listed by Universal Coin and Bullion as “stolen or missing,” according to a felony indictment. Further investigation revealed that on 68 occasions, Rosas sold gold and silver coins, along with cell phones and other electronic devices, at a number of local pawn shops.
The Beaumont, Texas, Post Office facility where investigators say thefts of rare coins and other items occurred. (Image courtesy Jerry Jordan/Universal Coin and Bullion.)
“During their investigation, federal investigators learned Rosas was the son of Pamela Jo Rosas, a U.S.P.S. employee at the postal distribution center in Beaumont,” said Fuljenz. “That was the same location where complaints about the thefts had been filed starting in October 2018. U.S.P.S. Office of Inspector General investigator Oswaldo (Oz) Fong worked with my team to place tracking devices in multiple packages shipped from our offices to prove their case on how Rosas’ son was getting the items he sold.”
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Russell James.
