Crime & Courts

Charges: Wasilla woman had 1,600 pieces of stolen mail

A federal charging document against a Wasilla woman tied to a string of Mat-Su burglaries last year says law enforcement found around 1,600 pieces of mail in her home.

Linda Lisa Friend has been charged with possession of stolen mail, a felony, according to the charging document filed Monday.

Prosecutors filed a plea agreement the same day. It says Friend had the stolen mail between November 2014 and March 2015, and she knew the 1,600 pieces of mail found at her home were stolen from mailboxes or post office boxes in Wasilla, Palmer, Houston and Chugiak.

"A majority of the stolen mail was recovered during a search warrant, and was located in Friend's bedroom in plastic tubs and scattered on top of her bed," according to the agreement.

Friend faces a maximum of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of probation. She signed the agreement but hasn't entered her plea in court.

Alaska State Troopers arrested Friend along with Timothy W. Taylor, also of Wasilla, in April 2015 for six suspected burglaries and mail theft in the Mat-Su.

During the investigation, troopers found that Friend and Taylor stole mail from several hundred people and businesses. They also recovered hundreds of items -- 35 weapons, sporting equipment, tools and personal documents that included passports – valued around $20,000. Troopers said many of the stolen items were family heirlooms.

The state charged Friend with four counts of second-degree theft about a month after her arrest. A trial in that case is set for May.

Jerzy Shedlock

Jerzy Shedlock is a former reporter for Alaska Dispatch News. He left the ADN in 2017.

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