Baltimore, Maryland – A former U.S. Postal Service (USPS) letter carrier, Antoinette McDaniels, age 46, of Windsor Mill, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to a bribery and drug conspiracy in which she accepted bribes to divert packages of marijuana sent through the mail and deliver the packages to co-conspirators.  Former USPS letter carrier, Hilary Gainey, age 26, of Baltimore, pleaded guilty to the same charges on March 6, 2015.

The guilty pleas were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Acting Postal Inspector in Charge David M. McGinnis of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service – Washington Division; Assistant Special Agent in Charge Gary Tuggle of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office; Colonel William M. Pallozzi, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police; Commissioner Anthony W. Batts of the Baltimore Police Department; and Baltimore City Sheriff John Anderson.

“The US Postal Inspection Service is determined to protect Postal employees and the US Mail from criminal misuse and unsafe elements,” said David M. McGinnis, Acting Postal Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service – Washington Division.  Inspector McGinnis continued, “Postal Inspectors will continue to team with our law enforcement partners to pursue those individuals who would endanger Postal employees and corrupt the US Postal Service to further their criminal enterprises.”

According to the their plea agreements, McDaniels and Gainey conspired with others who paid them bribes in exchange for diverting packages containing marijuana and delivering those packages to the co-conspirators.

Specifically, Gainey and McDaniels admitted that in December 2013 and January 2014, respectively, while they were employed by the U.S. Postal Service as letter carriers, they agreed to divert specific packages sent through the U.S. mail that contained marijuana, and deliver those packages to co-conspirators, in exchange for $100 per parcel. According to their plea agreements, the packages were sent via the U.S. mail from Arizona, California, Florida, and elsewhere, to addresses along McDaniels’ route in Baltimore and Gainey’s route in Columbia, Maryland.

During the course of the conspiracy Gainey and McDaniels delivered approximately 100 packages and 30 packages, respectively, to their co-conspirators, and were paid approximately $100 per delivery. In addition, McDaniels received a total of $1,700 from co-conspirators in the form of “loans” that they never requested to be paid back.  Gainey was paid a total of $10,000 by the co-conspirators and McDaniels was paid a total of $4,700 by the co-conspirators.  The total amount of marijuana distributed by McDaniels during the course of the conspiracy was between 80 and 100 kilograms.  During her participation in the conspiracy, Gainey is responsible for the distribution of between 100 and 400 kilograms of marijuana.

McDaniels and Gainey each face a maximum sentence of five years in prison for the bribery conspiracy and two years in prison for bribery.  McDaniel faces a maximum of 20 years in prison and Gainey faces a mandatory five years and up to 40 years in prison, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana.  U.S. District Judge J. Frederick Motz has scheduled sentencing for McDaniels on May 8, 2015, at 10:00 a.m. and for Gainey on June 5, 2015, at 9:30 a.m.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein praised the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, DEA, Maryland State Police, Baltimore City Police Department and Baltimore City Sheriff’s Office for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant United States Attorney Jason D. Medinger, who is prosecuting the case.

Hilary Gainey [CCA since 2014]

Antoinette McDaniels [city carrier since 1994],