LEXINGTON, Ky. – Two Lexington residents admitted in federal court Monday to stealing more than 150 cellphones from the mail and reselling them in a scheme that cost a shipping company more than $50,000.
According to court records, John Travis Howard and his wife, Trina R. Howard, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Karen K. Caldwell to conspiracy to defraud the United States. Both waived indictment and accepted plea agreements laying out their roles in the thefts, which occurred between June and November 2024 in Fayette and Mercer counties.
Prosecutors said John Howard abused his access to mailed parcels through his job to identify and remove packages containing new cellphones. The couple then sold the devices at automated kiosks, to private buyers, and through intermediaries. Court filings state about 150 phones were stolen, with roughly 130 belonging to a single company. The company’s losses totaled about $50,830, averaging $391 per device.
The Howards netted nearly $19,609 in cash from the sales, according to their plea agreements. Trina Howard played the lead role in reselling the devices, while her husband provided many of the phones and assisted with some sales. At least 146 victims were affected by the thefts.
Both defendants face up to five years in prison, fines of up to $250,000, and three years of supervised release. They also agreed to pay at least $50,830 in restitution to the shipping company and consented to forfeiting $19,609, the amount prosecutors say they personally gained from the scheme.
Judge Caldwell scheduled sentencing for Jan. 20, 2026, in Lexington.