2nd Philly Mail Carrier In Marijuana Delivery Scheme Sentenced

PHILADELPHIA – The second United States Postal carrier involved in a marijuana delivery scheme has been sentenced to more than a year in prison for his role in the plot, federal officials said Wednesday.

United States Attorney William M. McSwain said Steven C. Williams, 43, of Philadelphia, was hit with a 15-month sentence for taking bribes in exchange for delivering packages containing marijuana to drug dealers.

One of Williams' co-conspirators, U.S. Postal carrier Felicia Charleston, 36, of Philadelphia, was sentenced in May to 10 months' imprisonment.

Additionally, Tafari Riley, 26, of Bala Cynwyd, was sentenced in July to 87 months in federal prison for bribing Charleston and Williams.

Williams delivered and attempted to distribute 5,468 kilograms of marijuana, federal officials said.

Williams diverted packages to co-conspirators at a variety of locations in West Philadelphia, according to officials.

He pleaded guilty in April.

"We can’t have postal workers moonlighting by conspiring with drug dealers," McSwain said. "Drug dealers do enough damage to our communities without the helping hands of government employees. The vast majority of postal carriers in this district perform their jobs with honesty and integrity. But in this case, the defendant was corrupted by the lure of an easy buck. Prison is a just result and a deterrent to such behavior."

Williams and Charleston were postal carriers at the West Market Post Office in Philadelphia, and Williams recruited Charleston to assist in the illegal scheme, authorities said.

They both delivered packages to members of a drug organization at 48 N. Hobart St. and other locations in West Philadelphia. The drug dealers then distributed the marijuana to their customers, according to officials.

"The Postal Service employs 600,000 nationwide, the majority of whom are dedicated, hard-working individuals worthy of America’s trust," said Monica Weyler, U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General Special Agent in Charge, Philadelphia. "However, a very small number of them choose to violate that trust by engaging in misconduct or criminal activity. Special agents with the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General work with other law enforcement agencies to find those employees, investigate them, and seek their criminal prosecution and removal from the Postal Service, as we did in this case. To report criminal activity or serious misconduct by postal employees, contact USPS OIG special agents at 888-USPS-OIG or www.uspsoig.gov."

The case was investigated by the United States Postal Service, Office of Inspector General (USPS-OIG), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Border Enforcement Security Taskforce (BEST), and the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, Bureau of Narcotics Investigations (BNI) and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Anita Eve and Tomika N.S. Patterson.

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