A Theodore man will spend 32 months in federal prison after illegally purchasing specialized keys from a postal worker to steal mail and commit bank fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

According to court records, Sean Donnell White bought an "arrow" key from a postal worker, Kristen Aeriale Williams, for $2,500. The arrow key can be used to open all blue postal collection boxes in a specific geographic area.

According to a press release from the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Alabama White used the key to steal hundreds of pieces of mail and commit bank fraud by stealing banking information found in the mail.

Using counterfeited checks, White accumulated over $69,508 worth of fraudulent bank transactions.

Police officers caught White using the key to steal mail from collection boxes outside of the Bel-Air Mall in November 2022. White also committed a cryptocurrency scam by buying stolen identities on the dark web and using those identities to make cryptocurrency trades on Coinbase.

White obtained over $210,000 as part of the fraudulent scheme.

Along with the 32 month prison term White is to serve five years of supervised release after the end of his sentence.

A similar case unfolded in Birmingham after Derell Allen Matthews illegally purchased postal keys to steal mail from 2022 to 2023. Matthews was sentenced to five years in prison for the crime in July.