The last defendant of a group of 16 U.S. Postal Service letter carriers and clerks from the Atlanta area has been sentenced to federal prison for accepting bribes to deliver packages of cocaine–two kilograms or more at a time–in a undercover operation. The defendants received sentences of between three and nine years in prison for taking bribes as low as $250 to make deliveries. The oldest defendant sentenced was 64.
According to U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak, in 2015, federal agents learned that drug traffickers had been bribing postal workers to intercept and specially deliver packages of drugs while they were on their regular routes, including through residential neighborhoods. The drug traffickers believed the postal workers were less likely to be caught by law enforcement because of their official jobs, and found that the corrupt postal workers were willing to hand deliver the drugs in exchange for bribes.
“Drug trafficking, in itself, is an inherently dangerous crime,” said Sherry Boston, DeKalb County District Attorney. “When perpetrated by those in positions of public trust, citizen safety is severely compromised. The DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office is committed to working with our law enforcement partners to ferret out cases of public corruption and ensure that those who abuse their authority and violate the public’s trust, are held accountable for their actions.”
The defendants convicted as a result of this operation include:
Cydra Rochelle Alexander, 33, of Riverdale, a letter carrier assigned to the Ralph McGill Carrier Annex and Central City Branch of the Atlanta Post Office was sentenced to five years, 10 months in prison to be followed by four years of supervised release, and ordered to pay forfeiture in the amount of $4,500 by U.S. District Judge Leigh Martin May on Feb. 22, 2018. Alexander pleaded guilty to these charges on Nov. 27, 2017.
Aurthamis O. Burch, a/k/a Tank, 47, of Snellville, a letter carrier assigned to the Doraville Post Office was sentenced to three years, 10 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay forfeiture in the amount of $1,500 by U.S. District Judge Steve C. Jones on April 10, 2018. Burch pleaded guilty to these charges on Dec. 11, 2017.
Kawana Rashun Champion, 36, of Jonesboro, a clerk assigned to the North Springs Branch of the Sandy Springs Post Office and Central City Branch of the Atlanta Post Office was sentenced to nine years in prison to be followed by four years of supervised release, and ordered to pay forfeiture in the amount of $10,500 by U.S. District Judge Leigh Martin May on May 11, 2018. Champion pleaded guilty to these charges on Feb. 20, 2018.
Eleanor Lolita Golden, a/k/a Eleanor Johnson, 55, of East Point, Georgia, a letter carrier assigned to the West End Branch of the Atlanta Post Office was sentenced to six years in prison to be followed by four years of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $4,500 by U.S. District Judge Leigh Martin May on May 17, 2018. Golden pleaded guilty to these charges on Dec. 20, 2017.
Tonie Harris, 55, of Decatur, a letter carrier assigned to the Sandy Springs Post Office was sentenced to three years, one month in prison to be followed by four years of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $1,450 by U.S. District Judge Steve C. Jones on Aug. 14, 2018. Harris pleaded guilty to these charges on March 20, 2018.
Leea Janel Holt, 39, of Atlanta, Georgia, a letter carrier assigned to the Old National Branch of the Riverdale Post Office was sentenced to 6 years, 6 months in prison to be followed by 4 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $4,500 by U.S. District Judge Leigh Martin May on Nov. 27, 2018. Holt pleaded guilty to these charges on June 6 and Aug. 28, 2018.
Clifton Curtis Lee, a/k/a Cliff, 43, of Lithonia, a letter carrier assigned to the Sandy Springs Post Office was sentenced to three years, 10 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $1,800 by U.S. District Judge Steve C. Jones on June 18, 2018. Lee pleaded guilty to these charges on Feb. 28, 2018.
Shakeed Anilah Magee, 41, of College Park, a letter carrier assigned to the West End Branch of the Atlanta Post Office was sentenced to five years in prison to be followed by four years of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $3,000 by U.S. District Judge Leigh Martin May on February 13, 2018. Magee pleaded guilty to these charges on November 14, 2017.
Horace Manson, 41, of Roswell, a letter carrier assigned to the West End Branch of the Atlanta Post Office was sentenced to three years, 10 months in prison to be followed by two years of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $3,000 by U.S. District Judge Leigh Martin May on April 17, 2018. Manson pleaded guilty to these charges on January 29, 2018.
Olivia Marita Moore, 26, of Atlanta, a letter carrier assigned to the Old National Branch of the Riverdale Post Office was sentenced to five years, 10 months in prison to be followed by four years of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $4,500 by U.S. District Judge Leigh Martin May on July 16, 2018. Moore pleaded guilty to these charges on Jan. 5, 2018.
Eddie Nash, 64, of Decatur, a letter carrier assigned to the West End Branch of the Atlanta Post Office was sentenced to five years in prison to be followed by four years of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $3,000 by U.S. District Judge Leigh Martin May on July 17, 2018. Nash pleaded guilty to these charges on Dec. 14, 2017.
Jeffrey A. Pearson, 61, of Austell, a letter carrier assigned to the Decatur Post Office was sentenced to four years, nine months in prison to be followed by four years of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $2,000 by U.S. District Judge Eleanor L. Ross on May 22, 2018. Pearson pleaded guilty to these charges on Feb. 1, 2018.
Rodney Antwain Salter, 34, of Jonesboro, a letter carrier assigned to the Martech Branch of the Atlanta Post Office was sentenced to five years in prison to be followed by four years of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $3,000 by U.S. District Judge Leigh Martin May on May 17, 2018. Salter pleaded guilty to these charges on Dec. 20, 2017.
Frank Webb, 41, of Lithonia, a letter carrier assigned to the Central City Branch of the Atlanta Post Office was sentenced to three years, four months in prison to be followed by two years of supervised release, and ordered to pay forfeiture in the amount of $3,000 by U.S. District Judge Leigh Martin May on May 16, 2018. Webb pleaded guilty to these charges on Jan. 30, 2018.
Katrina Nicole Wilson, a/k/a Trina, 39, of Fairburn, a letter carrier assigned to the West End Branch of the Atlanta Post Office was sentenced to eight years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $9,500 by U.S. District Judge Leigh Martin May on Aug. 27, 2018. Wilson pleaded guilty to these charges on April 12, 2018.
Harvel Donta Young, a/k/a Dante, 41, of Atlanta, a letter carrier assigned to the Westside Annex Branch of the Marietta Post Office was sentenced to five years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $1,800 by U.S. District Judge Steve C. Jones on August 14, 2018. Young pleaded guilty to these charges on May 1, 2018.
Additionally, Dexter Bernard Frazier, a/k/a Dec, 57, of Fairburn, who was not a postal employee but participated in some of the package deliveries by connecting the confidential source with postal workers, was sentenced to nine years in prison to be followed by 10 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $10,700 by U.S. District Judge Steve C. Jones on June 13, 2018. Frazier pleaded guilty to these charges on March 6, 2018.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office, and U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General.