In a nod to law and order, Oklahoma City man Donald Eugene Cooks, 50, was handed a hefty sentence for a series of mail-related crimes, including conspiracy to commit mail theft, possession of stolen mail, and witness tampering. U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester's office broke the news, detailing that Chief U.S. District Judge Timothy D. DeGiusti sentenced Cooks to serve 92 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release on March 26. This came after Cooks' co-conspirator, Irvin Herbert Sawyer, received 36 months of probation a year earlier, as per court documents.
According to the indictment, Cooks, alongside Sawyer, a former rural carrier associate for the Post Office, managed to steal mail back in July 2022. Using access codes provided by Sawyer, Cooks made his entry and swiped various mail items, stashing them in his motel room. Another theft attempt on July 19, triggered an alarm that caught police attention. While the alarm was tripped, Cooks and his accomplice were burying stolen mail into the bed of a truck, an endeavor thwarted by the prompt arrival of the Oklahoma City Police.
The long arm of the law took no time in linking Cooks to the crimes, quickly locating both stolen mail and empty packages at his motel room. In an added twist, while awaiting trial in July 2023, Cooks was found attempting to meddle with the judicial process; he had messages passed to intimidate a witness, aiming to muzzle their testimony against him. These details emerged during the three-day trial which concluded on March 28, 2024, when a federal jury found Cooks guilty on all accounts.
In delivering the sentence, Judge DeGiusti underscored the gravity of Cooks' offenses. Considering his "continued criminal activity while in custody" and a history mired by serious convictions, the 92-months sentence was deemed not only a punitive measure but also a deterrent for future malefactors. Cooks' rap sheet, detailed in the U.S. Attorney's statement, spells out a trail of prior felonies, from vehicle theft and bail jumping to burglary and multiple escapes from penal institutions.
The case was brought to a close thanks to the collaborated efforts of the United States Postal Inspection Service and the Oklahoma City Police Department, with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bow Bottomly and Charles Brown at the prosecution's wheel. The sentencing serves as a reminder of the serious consequences of tampering with the federal mail system and obstructing justice. With Cooks now facing his sentence, it is a small triumph for the rule of law and the safeguarding of a service integral to the trust of public systems.
