Madison men indicted for post office scheme

Staff Reports, Madison Record
(Updated: Thursday, July 6, 2006 8:56 AM CDT)

Two Madison men were indicted last week in what prosecutors are calling an "elaborate scheme" to defraud the postal service.

Everett Langley Cossaboon, 42, a postal employee from Madison is charged with stealing $64,000 from the postal service. Cossaboon is suspected of using his position to embezzle money and property.

Two others, John Jason West, 29, a postal service supervisor from Huntsville and John Richard Bailey Jr., 36, of Madison, are also charged in connection with the incidents.

According to the indictment, West, in his position as a supervisor, learned of Cossaboon's embezzlement and teamed with Bailey to extort some $15,000 from Cossaboon. Bailey is not a post office employee.

West and Bailey were indicted on two counts of Hobbs Act violations and two counts of impersonating a federal officer.

West and Bailey face 20 years in prison for each count of extortion and three years in prison for each count of impersonating a federal officer, along with $250,000 fines for each count.

Cossaboon faces 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

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