Baltimore, Maryland - U.S. District Judge J. Frederick Motz sentenced Suleiman Pasha, age 33, of Columbia, Maryland, today to eight years in prison, followed by three 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 him and other co-conspirators. Judge Motz also ordered Pasha to forfeit $14,700.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Postal Inspector in Charge Maria L. Kelokates 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; Commissioner Kevin Davis of the Baltimore Police Department; and Baltimore City Sheriff John Anderson.
According to his plea agreement, Pasha conspired with letter carriers Antoinette McDaniels and Hilary Gainey, paying them bribes in exchange for diverting packages containing marijuana and delivering those packages to him, and co-conspirators Gary Coleman and Cyril Boodoo.
Specifically, Pasha admitted that in February 2014 and April 2014, he approached Antoinette McDaniels and Hilary Gainey, respectively, while they were employed by the U.S. Postal Service as letter carriers, and offered to pay McDaniels and Gainey $100 per parcel if they would divert specific packages sent through the U.S. mail that contained marijuana, and deliver those packages to him and other co-conspirators. McDaniels and Gainey agreed to this arrangement. Pasha introduced McDaniels and Gainey to Coleman and other co-conspirators, and directed McDaniels and Gainey to deliver certain packages to those co-conspirators as well. Pasha and his co-conspirators paid the letter carriers up to $100 for each parcel diverted and delivered to them. 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.
Gainey and McDaniels delivered approximately 100 packages and 30 packages, respectively, to Pasha, Coleman and Boodoo. 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. Pasha admitted that during his participation in the conspiracy, between 100 and 400 kilograms of marijuana were distributed.
Gary Coleman, a/k/a “Short," age 45, and Cyril Boodoo, age 55, both of Baltimore, Antoinette McDaniels, age 47, of Windsor Mill, Maryland, and Hilary Gainey, age 27, of Baltimore previously pleaded guilty to their roles in the conspiracy. Judge Motz sentenced Coleman to nine years in prison, Boodoo to six months in prison, and sentenced McDaniels and Gainey each to three years’ probation.
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 prosecuted the case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
