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Press Release

Baltimore Man Sentenced to 9 Years in Prison for a Drug Distribution Conspiracy and for Bribing Letter Carriers to Divert Packages Containing Marijuana

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Maryland

Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge J. Frederick Motz sentenced Gary Coleman, a/k/a “Short,” age 44, of Baltimore, today to nine years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, in connection with a bribery and drug conspiracy in which he bribed letter carriers to divert packages of marijuana sent through the mail and deliver the packages to Coleman and other co-conspirators.  Judge Motz also ordered Coleman to forfeit $14,700.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Acting Postal Inspector in Charge David G. Bowers of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service - Washington Division; Assistant Special Agent in Charge Don A. Hibbert of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office; Colonel William M. Pallozzi, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police; Interim Commissioner Kevin Davis of the Baltimore Police Department; and Baltimore City Sheriff John Anderson.

“Today’s sentencing confirms that anyone using the U.S. mail to distribute marijuana or any other illegal narcotics will be brought to justice and held accountable,” said David Bowers, Acting Inspector in Charge, U.S. Postal Inspection Service-Washington Division. “We’re grateful to our law enforcement partners who helped with this investigation and look forward to their continued support to protect America’s postal system from criminal activity.”         

According to his plea agreement, Coleman and others conspired with letter carriers Antoinette McDaniels and Hilary Gainey, paying them bribes in exchange for diverting packages containing marijuana and delivering those packages to Coleman and other co-conspirators.

Specifically, Coleman admitted that in February 2014 and April 2014, he was introduced to Antoinette McDaniels and Hilary Gainey, respectively, while they were employed by the U.S. Postal Service as letter carriers.  A co-conspirator told Coleman that McDaniels and Gainey would divert specific packages sent through the U.S. mail that contained marijuana, and deliver those packages to co-conspirators, in exchange for a bribe of $100 per parcel. Coleman, McDaniels and Gainey agreed to this arrangement and Coleman paid them up to $100 for each parcel diverted and delivered to him or a co-conspirator.  According to court documents 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.

According to their plea agreements, Gainey and McDaniels delivered approximately 100 packages and 30 packages, respectively, to Coleman and other co-conspirators. 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. Coleman admitted that during his participation in the conspiracy, between 100 and 400 kilograms of marijuana were distributed.

McDaniels and Gainey previously pleaded guilty to their roles in the conspiracy. They each face a maximum sentence of five years in prison for the bribery conspiracy and two years in prison for bribery.  McDaniels 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 August 28, 2015, and for Gainey on August 21, 2015.

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.

Updated August 19, 2015

Topic
Drug Trafficking