Federal Way woman federally charged for post office burglaries
Published 1:20 pm Friday, November 28, 2025
A Federal Way woman is accused of participating in multiple crimes involving burglarizing post offices.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) reports that on May 21, it charged Paula Gamboa, 37, of Federal Way, Justin Tate, 36, of Tacoma, and Gregory Foster, 58, of Port Orchard with multiple counts of conspiracy, burglary of a post office and bank fraud. Gamboa was charged with one count of conspiracy and one count of burglary of a post office.
According to the indictment, Tate led a burglary crew that targeted post offices in the Puget Sound region. The break-ins spanned Kitsap, Thurston, Pierce, King and Island counties. According to the DOJ, the suspects allegedly kept cash and other valuables from the stolen mail, and Tate then went on to use identity and financial documents obtained from victims’ mail to commit bank fraud.
The indictment stated that Gamboa’s involvement included three incidents on July 9, 2024; July 30, 2024; and July 31, 2024.
On July 9, at the Fox Island Post Office, on July 30 at the Preston Post Office, and on July 31 at the Clinton Post Office, Tate and Gamboa forcibly opened multiple P.O. boxes and then removed mail from the P.O. boxes.
According to the indictment, at the July 31 Clinton Post Office incident, Tate and Gamboa entered with the intent to commit larceny and depredation. Tate and Gamboa allegedly forced their way into the restricted area of the post office by breaking through an exterior wall where a drop box was located, and they proceeded to steal mail.
According to the DOJ, the charge of conspiracy is punishable by up to five years in prison. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case, and Assistant United States Attorney Victoria Cantore is prosecuting the case.
