Three men were sentenced to prison and a juvenile was sentenced to a detention facility on Tuesday morning for the armed robbery of a postal carrier, in an attempt to steal packages containing marijuana in 2017.
Cortez Anderson, 29, of Oakwood Village was sentenced to over nine years in prison, according to officials.
Officials said Jabar Hogan, 34, of Cleveland, and Roy Malone, 34, of Bedford Heights, both former employees of the U.S. Postal Service, were sentenced to nearly two years in prison. The minor involved was sentenced to three years at a juvenile detention facility.
According to court documents, Anderson paid Hogan with cash or marijuana for information on packages possibly containing marijuana in a scheme using the post office to deal drugs. Hogan sent Anderson the tracking number of the packages so Anderson could intercept them during their delivery.
On Oct. 30, 2017, the juvenile involved pointed a gun at a letter carrier delivering packages in Euclid. He demanded the letter carrier retrieve a package from the back of the postal vehicle, officials said.
According to court documents, nearby security cameras captured the vehicle the juvenile drove in, which was later determined to be owned by Hogan. Officials monitored phone calls and discovered Malone was driving the vehicle during the incident.
Officials said Anderson sold marijuana and was believed to be affiliated with the Heartless Felons gang.
Hogan and Malone both worked at the Postal Service’s Processing and Distribution Center on Orange Avenue in Cleveland, according to officials.
U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General Special Agent in Charge, Kenneth Cleevely, made a statement regarding the incident.
“The vast majority of the 600,000 postal employees nationwide are hard-working, trustworthy individuals. However, a few of them decide to violate that trust and use their positions for personal gain. In this case, these individuals will have several years in federal prison to think about their terrible decision. They have lost their careers, pension, and freedom for a few dollars.”
