ATLANTA (CBS46) - Sixteen U.S. Postal Service workers in Metro Atlanta have been charged with accepting bribes to deliver cocaine in a drug trafficking operation, according to the Dept. of Justice.The workers were charged in three separate federal indictments after it was discovered in a sting operation that the letter carriers were allegedly taking bribes to deliver packages of kilogram-quantities of cocaine.
The indictments state the USPS employees allegedly accepted the bribes from a person they believed was a drug trafficker using the U.S. mail to ship cocaine, multiple kilograms at a time, into the Atlanta area. In exchange for the bribe payments, the letter carriers allegedly provided special addresses that the drug trafficker could use to ship the cocaine.
The letter carriers then intercepted the packages and delivered them to the trafficker. However, the drug trafficker was working with law enforcement and the packages they delivered contained fake drugs.
Some of the postal employees went on to recruit additional USPS employees to join the criminal scheme and accepted additional money for drug packages delivered by recruits.
The USPS employees are as follows:
Cydra Rochelle Alexander, 31, of Riverdale, Georgia, a letter carrier assigned to the Ralph McGill Carrier Annex and Central City Branch of the Atlanta Post Office.
Aurthamis O. Burch, a/k/a Tank, 46, of Snellville, Georgia, a letter carrier assigned to the Doraville Post Office.
Kawana Rashun Champion, 35, of Jonesboro, Georgia, a clerk assigned to the North Springs Branch of the Sandy Springs Post Office and Central City Branch of the Atlanta Post Office.
Eleanor Lolita Golden, a/k/a Eleanor Johnson, 54, of East Point, Georgia, a letter carrier assigned to the West End Branch of the Atlanta Post Office.
Tonie Harris, 54, of Decatur, Georgia, a letter carrier assigned to the Sandy Springs Post Office.
Leea Janel Holt, 38, of Atlanta, Georgia, a letter carrier assigned to the Old National Branch of the Riverdale Post Office.
Clifton Curtis Lee, a/k/a Cliff, 41, of Lithonia, Georgia, a letter carrier assigned to the Sandy Springs Post Office.
Shakeed Anilah Magee, 40, of College Park, Georgia, a letter carrier assigned to the West End Branch of the Atlanta Post Office.
Horace Manson, 40, of Roswell, Georgia, a letter carrier assigned to the West End Branch of the Atlanta Post Office.
Olivia Marita Moore, 25, of Atlanta, Georgia, a letter carrier assigned to the Old National Branch of the Riverdale Post Office.
Eddie Nash, 63, of Decatur, Georgia, a letter carrier assigned to the West End Branch of the Atlanta Post Office.
Jeffrey A. Pearson, 59, of Austell, Georgia, a letter carrier assigned to the Decatur Post Office.
Rodney Antwain Salter, 33, of Jonesboro, Georgia, a letter carrier assigned to the Martech Branch of the Atlanta Post Office.
Frank Webb, 40, of Lithonia, Georgia, a letter carrier assigned to the Central City Branch of the Atlanta Post Office.
Katrina Nicole Wilson, a/k/a Trina, 38, of Fairburn, Georgia, a letter carrier assigned to the West End Branch of the Atlanta Post Office.
Harvel Donta Young, a/k/a Dante, 39, of Atlanta, Georgia, a letter carrier assigned to the Westside Annex Branch of the Marietta Post Office.