PENSACOLA — A federal grand jury has indicted a 25-year-old Pensacola mail handler on three counts including possession with intent to distribute marijuana, theft of U.S. Mail and delay or destruction of U.S. Mail, United States Attorney John P. Heekin announced.
Divincent M. Madison Jr. of Pensacola faces up to 5 years imprisonment on each of the three counts. He appeared for arraignment before United States Magistrate Judge Hope T. Cannon in Pensacola, with a jury trial scheduled for May 18 at 8:30 a.m. before District Court Judge T. Kent Wetherell II.
The charges allege Madison exploited his position as a U.S. Postal Service employee to steal mail and traffic marijuana — a case that underscores the federal government’s willingness to prosecute postal workers who abuse their access to the mail system. The United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General investigated the case.
Assistant United States Attorney Christopher C. Patterson is prosecuting the case in the Northern District of Florida. The indictment carries one count of delay or destruction of U.S. Mail, one count of theft of U.S. Mail by a U.S. Postal employee and one count of possession with intent to distribute marijuana.
“An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office stated. “All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.”
Madison’s jury trial is set for May 18 before Judge Wetherell in Pensacola federal court.