One person sentenced for armed robberies of Ohio postal carriers

OHIO — A Columbus man has been sentenced to 17 years in federal prison for a series of armed robberies targeting U.S. Postal Service carriers.

Thierno S. Bah, 22, was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 204 months behind bars for four armed robberies that took place between December 2022 and May 2023. Bah was arrested in August 2023.

“Seventeen years in federal prison is a serious consequence in line with the seriousness of this type of violent crime,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker.

“We have held numerous individuals accountable in the Southern District of Ohio in recent years for their crimes against United States Postal Service carriers who are simply doing their jobs. As a result of our focused efforts and the vigorous investigations by our federal law enforcement partners, we’ve seen a decrease in new assaults.”

Bah, who also goes by the names “Wopo” and “Wopoonese,” worked with others to steal USPS service keys, which were then used to steal mail from postal receptacles, a method known as “fishing.”

The stolen mail was then altered—known as “cooking”—by changing check payees and amounts before being deposited into third-party bank accounts for profit.

Armed Robberies in Central Ohio

Authorities linked Bah to four separate armed robberies:

• Dec. 29, 2022 – Bah robbed a postal carrier in German Village, pointing a handgun at the victim’s stomach and demanding his vehicle and service keys.
• Jan. 3, 2023 – Bah attacked a postal carrier on East Columbus Street, pushing her into her mail truck, pressing a gun into her side, and stealing her keys.
• Jan. 3, 2023 (later the same day) – Bah committed another armed robbery in Whitehall, pushing a gun into the victim’s stomach and stealing her personal and service keys.
• May 11, 2023 – Bah robbed a postal worker outside the Post Office Retail Store on West Broad Street. He pistol-whipped the victim in the head before forcing her inside the post office to retrieve her service keys.

Bah pleaded guilty in November 2023, admitting to his role in the crimes.

The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker, FBI Special Agent in Charge Elena Iatarola, U.S. Postal Inspection Service Inspector in Charge Lesley Allison, Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant, Westerville Police Chief Charles Chandler, and Whitehall Police Chief Mike Crispen. U.S. District Judge Algenon L. Marbley imposed the sentence.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Noah R. Litton is prosecuting the case.