HILLSBORO, Ore.- On August 19, 2020, Nicholas William Berry pleaded guilty to aggravated identity theft and was sentenced to four years in prison by Judge Eric Butterfield. Deputy District Attorney Matt Wise prosecuted the case against Mr. Berry.

On May 26, 2020, an alert neighbor witnessed Mr. Berry steal a package from a home in Beaverton, Oregon. The woman then watched as Mr. Berry struggled to stuff the stolen package into his backpack. As he did so, several items of mail, which were later determined to be stolen by the defendant, fell from the backpack. The neighbor called police to report the suspicious activity.

Mr. Berry was then observed leaving the area in a vehicle. Law enforcement tracked down the vehicle and spoke with the owner and determined Mr. Berry was the one responsible for stealing the package.

Law enforcement then went to Mr. Berry’s home and received his consent to search the premises for additional stolen items. They found more stolen mail belonging to nearly two dozen people. The stolen items included payroll checks, identity cards, stimulus checks and debit cards. Investigators later determined that Mr. Berry was able to cash some of the checks that didn’t belong to him.

“This is one of the most prolific cases of identity theft that I have prosecuted throughout my career,” said Deputy District Attorney Wise. “Our community is struggling enough with the pandemic and people should not have to deal with the theft of vital unemployment or stimulus benefits.”

Washington County District Attorney Kevin Barton recently joined Washington County Sheriff Pat Garrett to issue this warning about mail and package theft. This office encourages community members to view the video to learn how they can protect themselves.

This office also wishes to acknowledge the work of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office on this case.

Mr. Berry will be transferred to the Oregon Department of Corrections to begin serving his sentence.