Identity, mail theft suspects arrested in Folsom

Editor's note: This story was updated Tuesday, Feb. 10, at 8:30 p.m. to add new information released by police. A man accused of a string of identity theft cases and mail theft in Folsom was arrested by Folsom Police and later, the suspect's alleged accomplice was caught by police after a follow-up investigation. On Feb. 6 around 3:30 p.m., Folsom Police officers responded to the 1900 block of Horseshoe Glen Circle for a report of a person stealing mail from a community cluster mailbox. Upon arrival, officers began canvassing the neighborhood for the suspect; they were given a physical description of the suspect by the person who reported the crime. During their search, officers found the mailbox unlocked, open, and completely emptied of its contents. A short time later, officers found and made contact with a person matching the provided description. Through their investigation, officers determined the person was on felony probation for offenses including possession of counterfeit items such as keys used to access cluster mailboxes, identity theft, possession of counterfeit financial instruments and grand theft. The person was also found in possession of a bag of stolen mail, loose mail containing personal identifying information and suspected forged cluster mailbox keys. Christopher Palma of Sacramento was arrested and booked for possession of burglary tools, identity theft, possession of personal identifying information belonging to 10 or more victims, and mail theft. While continuing to canvas the area for possible accomplices, officers observed a black Audi sedan flee the neighborhood at a high rate of speed. Officers obtained the vehicle's license plate and launched a follow-up investigation to identify the driver. On Tuesday, Feb. 10, Folsom PD identified the driver of the Audi as Michael Brown of Sacramento; they also discovered Brown was on active state parole and was confirmed to be in Folsom at the time of the mail theft incident via GPS monitoring associated with his parole status. Once police found Brown in his residence, they searched his car and found more stolen mail from Folsom and surrounding communities, suspected drugs, narcotic paraphernalia, illegal weapons and identifying information belonging to the first suspect, Palma. Brown was arrested and booked into jail on multiple felony and misdemeanor charges, including conspiracy, possession of personal identifying information of 10 or more people, possession of a controlled substance, possession of brass knuckles and violation of parole. Folsom PD remind the community that mail theft, especially during tax season, is a nationwide concern. Residents are urged to take the following steps to help prevent mail theft: * Pick up mail daily. * If traveling, even overnight, ask a trusted neighbor or friend to collect your mail or place a hold on delivery at www.usps.com. * Sign up for USPS Informed Delivery at www.usps.com to preview upcoming mail and quickly identify missing items.