About 1,000 pounds of stolen mail found in home, car

PORT ORCHARD -- Mike Parmenter knows the problem of mail theft all too well. He's been a victim many times.

"The boxes have been hit four times. We don't put mail out in it anymore.  We always drop at the post office and what comes in is never ordered, in other words, we don't receive checks or anything through that anymore.  We do almost all of our banking now is online,” Parmenter said Thursday.

After Parmenter's mail was stolen, his identity was, too.



"You lose your credit card, you lose your online, you lose your identity theft because your Social Security information comes to you with your retirement information through the mailbox, so it can be pretty horrendous if you get nailed,” Parmenter said.

Parmenter's chances of getting the mail he’s got coming got a little better Tuesday with the arrest of 38- year-old Adam Lysiak.

He's a wanted felon with a very long rap sheet that includes mail theft, bank fraud and identity theft.

While searching his home and car, police found 1,000 pounds of stolen mail and packages.

Officers say Lysiak was running an extensive ID theft operation, the largest ever investigated in port Townsend.

Victims are spread all over the Northwest, most of them are in Kitsap County.

"It appears to be about 1,000 pieces of mail that they have discovered with regard to this individual that came from addresses in Kitsap County. What we don't know yet, because they're still going through that process, is how many victims we have,” Kitsap County sheriff’s deputy Scott Wilson said.

Investigators estimate it could take two weeks to examine every piece of stolen mail and then notify homeowners that their mail was stolen and their identities may have been compromised.

"Really the only secure way that somebody is going to insure their mail is to pick it up at the curbside from the mailman as he delivers it, which is not really practical in all cases, or to utilize the services of the U.S. Postal Service or another type of facility that has a Post Office box,” Deputy Wilson said.

Investigators say Lysiak could be hit with as 100 felony charges and if convicted could face 500 years in prison and half a million dollars in fines.

Anyone who feels they may have been victimized by Adam Lysiak should call their local police department.