The manager of the U.S. Postal Service’s Vehicle Maintenance Facility in Cleveland was charged today with extorting $19,280.87 in cash bribes and free vehicle repairs, and stealing Postal Service property worth more than $800, said Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, and Monica Weyler, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Postal Service’s Office of Inspector General Eastern Area Field Office.
Kevin R. Hood, 46, of Richmond Heights, was charged by a 2-count criminal information with one count of extortion under color of right, and one count of misdemeanor theft of government property.
“Public service and employment is an honor which carries a deep public trust. This defendant violated that trust. This office has zero tolerance for public corruption at any level,” Dettelbach said.
The information charges that as manager of the Postal Service Vehicle Maintenance Facility at 1801 Broadway Avenue in Cleveland, Hood had the ability to award and monitor Postal Service Contracts. The information charges that between May 2011 and March 2013, Hood used this position to extort cash bribes and vehicle repair services from a Postal Service contractor in exchange for continued work under the contract. Hood also stole car batteries and vehicle parts valued between $800 and $1000 from the Postal Service Vehicle Maintenance Facility for his personal use, according to the information.
A charge is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Antoinette T. Bacon and Miranda E. Dugi following an investigation by special agents of the U.S. Postal Service’s Office of Inspector General.
