Man sentenced for embezzlement

Staff report

CLEVELAND

A Canfield man has been sentenced to a week of incarceration and ordered to make $12,613 in restitution for the money he embezzled from American Postal Workers Union Local 443.

Edward J. Kozusko, who earlier had pleaded guilty, drew the sentence Monday from U.S. District Court Judge James Gwin. The judge also told Kozusko he will be on three years of supervised release after he serves his time, and he fined him $6,000.

Kozusko was the local’s treasurer while he stole the money between Aug. 16, 2008, and Feb. 16, 2010, according to the information filed against him by the U.S. attorney.

Kozusko issued 32 unauthorized checks payable to himself totaling $7,418 and made 88 unauthorized cash withdrawals or charges to his union-issued credit card, totaling $5,195. The union represents postal clerks.

Kozusko will self-report for his jail stay a week from now at a time and place designated by the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.

The first eight months of his supervised release will be on electronically monitored house arrest, during which he will be permitted to leave home only for job, church or medical purposes.

In a financial affidavit he filed last fall, Kozusko, who was represented by a federal public defender, told the court he earned a gross annual income of $52,800 in his postal job in Youngstown, but had $143,250 in debts.