Feds: 8 U.S. Postal Service workers in Bethpage charged with theft of mail, conspiring to distribute marijuana
Long Island
Feds: 8 U.S. Postal Service workers in Bethpage charged with theft of mail, conspiring to distribute marijuana
Updated December 3, 2014 2:14 PM
By JOHN VALENTI [email protected]
82 comments Reprints http://www.newsday.com/long-island/...t-to-deal-drugs-feds-say-1.9676953?view=print+ -
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Kempleton Nash Jr., 29, of Cambria Heights, walks out of federal court in Central Islip after his girlfriend posted $100,000 bail in Central Islip on Dec. 3, 2014. Nash Jr, is a postal worker charged with theft of mail. (Credit: James Carbone)
Eight U.S. Postal Service employees at a mail processing center in Bethpage face arraignment Wednesday on federal charges of stealing illegal shipments of marijuana with the intent to deal the drugs, officials said.
U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District, Loretta Lynch, announced the Tuesday night arrests of the employees, saying all had been charged with theft of mail and conspiracy to distribute...
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Eight U.S. Postal Service employees at a mail processing center in Bethpage face arraignment Wednesday on federal charges of stealing illegal shipments of marijuana with the intent to deal the drugs, officials said.
U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District, Loretta Lynch, announced the Tuesday night arrests of the employees, saying all had been charged with theft of mail and conspiracy to distribute and possession with the intent to distribute more than 129 pounds of marijuana taken during a six-month period.
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The investigation determined that more than 263 large parcels had been stolen from the processing center beginning in May, and "there was no corresponding increase in customers reporting such parcels missing or stolen," which is typical with packages containing "illicit substances," according to the criminal complaint.
Arrested were Kempleton Nash Jr., 29, of Cambria Heights, Queens; Eugene Williams, 37, of Brentwood; Timothy Marshall, 28, of Far Rockaway, Queens; Jerrod Rollerson, 25, of Hempstead; Tanicha Grenald-Allen, 36, of Brooklyn; Sherwin Parkes, 36, of Brooklyn; Lloyd Johnson, 34, of St. Albans, Queens; and, Jose Hurtado, 43, of North Bellmore. All face arraignment Wednesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Gary Brown at the federal courthouse in Central Islip.
The arrests followed a joint investigation by the Postal Service Office of the Inspector General, the Drug Enforcement Administration's Long Island District Office Task Force, which includes agents from the Nassau County and Suffolk County district attorney's offices, the Suffolk County sheriff, the Hempstead Police Department and the U.S. Department of Justice.
Officials said that the eight employees arrested all worked at the Logistical and Distribution Priority Mail Processing Center in Bethpage.
In a statement, Lynch said: "In this case, rather than alerting law enforcement agents to the presence of suspicious packages, the defendants allegedly stole the parcels from the processing line and placed them in a corridor outside" the main processing area -- a corridor accessed by a fire exit door whose alarm had been disabled.
The defendants then retrieved the parcels from the corridor, Lynch said, and carried them through the lobby of an adjacent business park. In some cases, Lynch said, agents found the defendants had attached new shipping labels to the parcels, redirecting their delivery to alternate addresses. In those cases, she said, the relabeled or "over-labeled" parcels were inserted back into line for delivery to a new destination.
Priority mail parcels "have become a method of choice for drug dealers for the covert transportation and distribution of controlled substances, including marijuana," according to the complaint. Such parcels often originate from the West Coast.
The Office of the Inspector General special agent-in-charge Rafael Medina said in a statement that the conduct of the eight employees was "beyond disgraceful" and that the work of thousands of "postal service employees should never be overshadowed by those who compromise their integrity for personal gain."
Authorities said that between September and November investigators obtained warrants for 12 "over-labeled" parcels, seizing about 129 pounds of marijuana with an estimated street value of between $100,000 and $930,000.
With Kevin Deutsch
http://www.newsday.com/long-island/...-with-intent-to-deal-drugs-feds-say-1.9676953
Long Island
Feds: 8 U.S. Postal Service workers in Bethpage charged with theft of mail, conspiring to distribute marijuana
Updated December 3, 2014 2:14 PM
By JOHN VALENTI [email protected]
82 comments Reprints http://www.newsday.com/long-island/...t-to-deal-drugs-feds-say-1.9676953?view=print+ -
<!-- end: photoContainer-->
Kempleton Nash Jr., 29, of Cambria Heights, walks out of federal court in Central Islip after his girlfriend posted $100,000 bail in Central Islip on Dec. 3, 2014. Nash Jr, is a postal worker charged with theft of mail. (Credit: James Carbone)
Eight U.S. Postal Service employees at a mail processing center in Bethpage face arraignment Wednesday on federal charges of stealing illegal shipments of marijuana with the intent to deal the drugs, officials said.
U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District, Loretta Lynch, announced the Tuesday night arrests of the employees, saying all had been charged with theft of mail and conspiracy to distribute...
Content Preview This content is exclusive for Newsday digital access and home delivery subscribers and Optimum Online customers.
Already registered?
Log in
Get Newsday digital access
Subscribe
Eight U.S. Postal Service employees at a mail processing center in Bethpage face arraignment Wednesday on federal charges of stealing illegal shipments of marijuana with the intent to deal the drugs, officials said.
U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District, Loretta Lynch, announced the Tuesday night arrests of the employees, saying all had been charged with theft of mail and conspiracy to distribute and possession with the intent to distribute more than 129 pounds of marijuana taken during a six-month period.
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The investigation determined that more than 263 large parcels had been stolen from the processing center beginning in May, and "there was no corresponding increase in customers reporting such parcels missing or stolen," which is typical with packages containing "illicit substances," according to the criminal complaint.
Arrested were Kempleton Nash Jr., 29, of Cambria Heights, Queens; Eugene Williams, 37, of Brentwood; Timothy Marshall, 28, of Far Rockaway, Queens; Jerrod Rollerson, 25, of Hempstead; Tanicha Grenald-Allen, 36, of Brooklyn; Sherwin Parkes, 36, of Brooklyn; Lloyd Johnson, 34, of St. Albans, Queens; and, Jose Hurtado, 43, of North Bellmore. All face arraignment Wednesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Gary Brown at the federal courthouse in Central Islip.
The arrests followed a joint investigation by the Postal Service Office of the Inspector General, the Drug Enforcement Administration's Long Island District Office Task Force, which includes agents from the Nassau County and Suffolk County district attorney's offices, the Suffolk County sheriff, the Hempstead Police Department and the U.S. Department of Justice.
Officials said that the eight employees arrested all worked at the Logistical and Distribution Priority Mail Processing Center in Bethpage.
In a statement, Lynch said: "In this case, rather than alerting law enforcement agents to the presence of suspicious packages, the defendants allegedly stole the parcels from the processing line and placed them in a corridor outside" the main processing area -- a corridor accessed by a fire exit door whose alarm had been disabled.
The defendants then retrieved the parcels from the corridor, Lynch said, and carried them through the lobby of an adjacent business park. In some cases, Lynch said, agents found the defendants had attached new shipping labels to the parcels, redirecting their delivery to alternate addresses. In those cases, she said, the relabeled or "over-labeled" parcels were inserted back into line for delivery to a new destination.
Priority mail parcels "have become a method of choice for drug dealers for the covert transportation and distribution of controlled substances, including marijuana," according to the complaint. Such parcels often originate from the West Coast.
The Office of the Inspector General special agent-in-charge Rafael Medina said in a statement that the conduct of the eight employees was "beyond disgraceful" and that the work of thousands of "postal service employees should never be overshadowed by those who compromise their integrity for personal gain."
Authorities said that between September and November investigators obtained warrants for 12 "over-labeled" parcels, seizing about 129 pounds of marijuana with an estimated street value of between $100,000 and $930,000.
With Kevin Deutsch
http://www.newsday.com/long-island/...-with-intent-to-deal-drugs-feds-say-1.9676953
