# Mailing Letters And Interfering With U.S. Mail?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mailing-letters-and-interfering-with-u-s-mail/955475>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [December 4, 2021, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mailing-letters-and-interfering-with-u-s-mail/955475 "2021-12-04T00:46:09Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Jim\_B](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jim_b/32/4338_2.png) [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\
**Post date:** [December 4, 2021, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mailing-letters-and-interfering-with-u-s-mail/955475/1 "2021-12-04T00:46:09Z")

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As I said before, I have a couple of scientific theories that I have been trying to share for quite some time now. And I often use U.S. mail to share them.

I also have Type II Diabetes. So I sometimes walk to the mailbox for the exercise. But I live in Detroit. And although I think, I hope, the chances of being criminally accosted are rare. They do exist.

My question then: if I was on my way to the mailbox, and someone stole my letter, could I charge interfering with U.S. mail? I know it’s a crime. And Detroit police have problems of their own (i.e., serious crime). So my case may be a low priority. But getting the feds involved may be more productive for me.

So, thoughts 🙂 ?

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**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\
**Post date:** [December 4, 2021, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mailing-letters-and-interfering-with-u-s-mail/955475/2 "2021-12-04T01:42:40Z")

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Apparently not. Until your mail becomes officially part of the USPS system, no.

> **[18 U.S. Code § 1708 - Theft or receipt of stolen mail matter gen­erally](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/1708)**

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**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\
**Post date:** [December 8, 2021, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mailing-letters-and-interfering-with-u-s-mail/955475/3 "2021-12-08T18:15:47Z")

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If you were mailing a cashier’s check for $50,000 the local police might be more interested in tracking it down. If you’re mailing a Christmas card to Aunt Edna they won’t be that interested… and you can’t blame them. It’s called criminal theft, and depending on what is stolen it could be a misdemeanor or felony. Either way, the Feds aren’t involved until you drop it into a mailbox.