Anchorage, Alaska-United States Attorney Karen L. Loeffler announced that a Wasilla woman was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason to nine years in federal prison for her role in a drug conspiracy as well as for possession of stolen mail.
Brenda Sue Cox, 53, of Wasilla, Alaska, previously pled guilty to conspiring with others to distribute large amounts of methamphetamine and heroin. Cox, a former contract employee with the United States Postal Service, also admitted to being in possession of mail that she had removed from her postal route. In addition to her prison sentence, Cox will pay $1,949.92 in restitution to the individuals and businesses whose mail she had in her possession at the time of her arrest.
In sentencing Cox, Judge Gleason noted that Cox’s drug trafficking appeared to be motivated by greed and stressed that she found the nature and circumstances of Cox’s offenses troubling. Judge Gleason also emphasized the need for deterrence in these types of cases.
Responding to the sentence, Inspector in Charge of the Seattle Division of the United States Postal Inspection Service, Bradley Kleinknecht, stated that, “The United States Postal Inspection Service is committed to ensuring that the United States mail remains one of the most trusted forms of communication in the world, and that the theft of the United States mail will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
Kleinknecht went on to state that “United States Postal Inspectors are also committed to identifying mail containing drugs, while ensuring that drug traffickers know that the United States mail is no safe haven for them. This sentence sends a strong message to anyone who misuses the United States mail in any way; you will be caught and you will be prosecuted."
In announcing the sentencing, U.S. Attorney Loeffler praised the United States Postal Inspection Service and the Alaska State Troopers, who conducted the investigation in this case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
