FAYETTE COUNTY, Ga. — A Georgia man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison and 25 years on probation after prosecutors said he stole numerous pieces of mail in Fayette County.

The Sheriff’s Office said they received repeated calls about mail theft in the months leading up to July 2023.

On July 30, detectives saw a suspicious vehicle attempting to tamper with a post office box at the Fayetteville Post Office. Deputies searched the vehicle and found a box labeled United States Postal Service that was full of stolen mail.

The mail included personal letters, medical records, tax documents and approximately $94,000 in bill payments.

Christopher Smith, who was a passenger in the vehicle, was charged with 52 counts of identity fraud and one count of illegal possession of mail.

Smith was sentenced to 40 years, which included 15 years in prison.

The car’s driver, John Turner, is awaiting trial.

“The Fayette County Sheriff’s Office wants to send us a clear message that mail theft will not be tolerated in our community,” the sheriff wrote.