ATLANTA – In three separate federal indictments unsealed on Tuesday August 29, 2017, 16 U.S. Postal Service (USPS) employees working in locations across the metro-Atlanta area have been charged with accepting bribes to deliver packages of kilogram-quantities of cocaine in a wide-reaching sting operation.

“Postal employees are entrusted to perform a vital service as they travel through our communities, often visiting our homes and interacting personally with our citizens,” said U.S. Attorney John Horn. “The defendants in this case allegedly sold that trust out to someone they knew to be a drug dealer, and simply for cash in their pockets they were willing to endanger themselves and the residents on their routes and bring harmful drugs into the community.”

“The allegations contained in these federal indictments are disturbing to say the least. The blatant abdication of the public trust through the criminal conduct of these sixteen U.S. Postal Service employees, absolutely stains the established trust of their peers and those that went before them at the U.S. Postal Service. While it is hoped that this extensive joint investigation and resulting federal prosecution will serve as a deterrent for others, the FBI makes it clear that public corruption remains our number one criminal program priority and, as such, we have dedicated significant resources toward the identification, investigation, and presentation for prosecution of any individuals involved in similar such conduct,” said David J. LeValley, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Atlanta Field Office.

“The DeKalb County District Attorney's Office is equally committed to aggressively combating public corruption. This case highlights the importance of interagency cooperation to effectively identify, investigate, and prosecute those who abuse their positions of public trust regardless of geographical borders,” said DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston.

“While the vast majority of U.S. Postal Service personnel are hard-working and trustworthy individuals who are dedicated to delivering mail and would never consider engaging in criminal behavior, these charges reflect the select few who decided to betray the trust. This type of behavior within the Postal Service is not tolerated and when employees engage in criminal behavior, the special agents of the U.S. Postal Service, Office of Inspector General (USPS OIG) vigorously investigate these matters, along with other federal and local law enforcement agencies, to hold accountable those employees who violate that public trust,” said Paul L. Bowman, USPS OIG Special Agent in Charge, Capital Metro Area Field Office.

According to U.S. Attorney Horn, the indictments, and other information presented in court: USPS employees allegedly accepted 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. 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.

In exchange for the bribe payments, these individuals allegedly provided special addresses that the drug trafficker could use to ship packages of cocaine. The defendants then intercepted the packages and delivered them to the drug trafficker. Unbeknownst to them, the drug trafficker was actually 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 their recruits.

Dexter Bernard Frazier, a/k/a Dec, 56, of Fairburn, Georgia, was also charged based on his role in introducing several of the defendants to the drug trafficker and coordinating logistics of the scheme in exchange for payments.

Alexander, Burch, Champion, Frazier, Golden, Harris, Holt, Lee, Magee, Manson, Moore, Nash, Salter, Webb, Wilson, and Young have been arrested and will be arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Linda T. Walker.

Members of the public are reminded that the indictments only contain charges. The defendants are presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendants’ guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office, and U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Garrett L. Bradford and Jill E. Steinberg are prosecuting the case.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta recommends parents and children learn about the dangers of drugs at the following web site: www.justthinktwice.gov.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.