FRESNO  -   A federal grand jury returned an indictment today against Ryan James Taylor, 34, of Oxnard, charging him with burglary of a U.S. Post Office, mail theft, and theft of government property, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.

According to court documents, on Aug. 26, 2018, Taylor forcibly broke into the Mojave Post Office in Kern County and stole mail that had been deposited at the post office as well as a U.S. Mail Truck.

This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Vincente Tennerelli and Joseph Barton are prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Taylor faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each of the burglary and stolen mail charges, and 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the stolen mail truck charge. Any sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.