Two sentenced for armed robberies of post office, letter carrier

Watch a previous report of the robberies in the video player above.

COLUMBUS, Ohio ( WCMH ) — Two men have been sentenced to time in federal prison for their roles in two armed robberies of a post office and a mail carrier last year.

Cody N. “Drose” Beasley , 23, was sentenced Monday to six years and three months in prison, while Kenan M. “Swerv” Lay, 21, was sentenced last month to five years and six months in prison, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio Kenneth Parker. Beasley pleaded guilty in November to possessing stolen mail in another district and to aiding and abetting the aggravated robbery of property of the U.S.

According to Parker’s office, on April 4, 2023, Beasley paid two other people $500 for the armed robbery of a postal carrier who was sitting in his work vehicle on Sawmill Road in Dublin.

Beasley also admitted to stealing a postal key in the Cleveland area in March 2023. Beasley and another conspirator were stopped by police for a traffic violation in Parma Heights, but fled the scene, Parker said. When they were eventually caught, a search of Beasley’s car turned up a black garbage bag full of mail that hadn’t yet been postmarked. Officials also found several pictures of stolen checks and research about 38 post offices and mailboxes in Cleveland on Beasley’s phone.

While being held in jail , Beasley began planning the Dublin postal carrier robbery, Parker said.

Court documents state Lay provided a 9mm handgun used in the May 11, 2023, armed robbery of an elderly postal worker at the West Broad Street post office. Lay was paid $100 for the use of the gun, which was used to pistolwhip the worker in the head and he was kept up to date on the progress of the robbery, according to the attorney’s office.

Beasley and Lay are two of seven people charged in these cases.

“These sentences illustrate that we will continue to take seriously offenses committed against postal carriers,” Parker said in the press release. “Even if you are not the person holding the gun or directly committing the robbery, we will hold you accountable for your role in the crime and work to ensure that you face time in federal prison like Beasley and Lay. Trust me, serving any amount of time in prison is just not worth it.”

According to Parker, more than a dozen people have been charged by his office with postal robberies in the last two years.

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