Former Postal Employee Convicted of Conspiracy Charges

2/3/16 St Louis, MO – QUENTIN COOK, Florissant, MO, was convicted of diverting mail believed to contain clothing, marijuana and other items to addresses that he and his co-defendants controlled for their personal gain. Cook and his co-defendants were former Postal employees of the Network Distribution Center in Hazelwood. The three-day trial was held before United States District Judge Ronnie L. White.

According to court documents and testimony presented at trial, Edward Lewis, Sean West, Korey Howard and Quentin Cook are former employees of the United States Postal Service. West, Howard and Cook searched for and identified mail and over-labeled it to redirect it from its original sender’s intended recipient to themselves, Lewis and others. The diverted mail included clothing, marijuana, electronics, computer equipment, pottery and personal effects.

Korey Howard, Florissant, MO; Edward Lewis, Hazelwood, MO; and Sean West, Florissant, MO; pled guilty in December to multiple charges including conspiracy, obstruction of correspondence and theft or receipt of stolen mail. They are scheduled for sentencing in March 2016. A sentencing date has not been set for Quentin Cook.

Each charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both. In determining the actual sentences, a judge is required to consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide recommended sentencing ranges.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Service-Office of Inspector General and the Postal Inspection Service. Assistant United States Attorneys Anthony Franks and Dianna Collins are handling the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

source: Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney’s Office

Additional Information:

“Over-labeling” is the process where an individual creates their own label and places that label over a label or address that was previously affixed to a mail parcel by a postal customer. In some cases, the individual will also remove the original label and affix their own label to the mail parcel. The intent is to redirect the parcel to an address that the individual controls, thereby allowing the individual to steal the parcel without physically removing the parcel from a postal facility.

All of the former postal employees are in their early 20s …

The investigation showed that a week after starting work, Howard and West both opened mail that was on a delivery truck they were supposed to unload, according to the court records.

Edward Lewis, Mail Handler Associate (MHA) from about May 4, 2013 to about March 15, 2014. LEWIS drove a Dodge Charger, a GMC Yukon, and a Chrysler 200.

Sean WEST was employed as a Christmas Casual from about November 15, 2014 to about January 5, 2015. WEST drove a Dodge Charger and a Chevrolet Monte Carlo.

Quentin Cook, Casual from approximately November 15, 2014 to the present. Prior to working at the NDC, COOK worked as a City Carrier Assistant (CCA) at a USPS post office in Chesterfield, Missouri. COOK drove a black Dodge Charger and a white Dodge Charger.

KOREY HOWARD is a former USPS employee who worked as a Christmas Casual from about November 15, 2014 to about January 5, 2015. In his position, HOWARD was responsible for unloading and sorting mail from the NDC delivery trucks. HOWARD a drove a Dodge Charger.

Related:

3 former Missouri Postal Employees plead guilty to conspiracy charges

Four Missouri Postal Workers indicted on charges of redirecting mail to personal addresses