Postal worker helped man break in and steal ‘large amount’ of mail in OK, feds say
An Oklahoma man was sentenced to prison after officials said he broke into a post office and stole mail with the help of an employee.
Donald Cooks, 50, was sentenced to seven years and eight months in prison after he was convicted of conspiracy to commit mail theft, possession of stolen mail, and witness tampering, according to an April 4 news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Oklahoma.
McClatchy News reached out to Cooks’ attorney but did not immediately hear back.
In July 2022, Irvin Herbert Sawyer was a rural carrier for the United States Post Office in Oklahoma City, officials said.
Sawyer gave the access code for the post office to Cooks, which allowed him to gain unlawful entry, according to an indictment.
Cooks entered the post office while it was closed and stole mail, then took it back to his motel room, officials said. Then he returned for more.
He and another person “attempted to steal a large amount of mail,” officials said. They loaded the mail into Cooks’ truck, but while they were loading it, an “alarm was tripped” and police caught them in the parking lot, according to prosecutors.
Cooks took off but was later arrested, officials said.
When investigators searched Cooks’ motel room they found stolen mail and “empty mail packaging” in a dumpster, according to the release.
Sawyer pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail theft in July 2023 and was sentenced to three years probation, court records show.
This story was originally published April 7, 2025 at 3:43 PM with the headline "Postal worker helped man break in and steal ‘large amount’ of mail in OK, feds say."
