Two Verbena residents have been arrested and charged in a federal indictment that accuses them of conspiring to steal packages of prescription pharmaceuticals intended for military veterans.

Kevin Cochrane, 34, and Carmen Cochrane, 36, both of Verbena, were named in a four-count indictment charging the couple with conspiracy to possess stolen U.S. Mail; two counts of theft of Veterans’s Administration U.S. Mail packages; and one count of conspiracy to possess hydrocodone with the intent to distribute it, according to a press release from the office of Edward Stanton III, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee.

Kevin Cochrane is a former U.S. Postal Service contractor.

Carmen Cochrane was arrested March 26, and Kevin Cochrane was taken into custody Monday by U.S. Postal Inspectors, according to the release.

The thefts allegedly occurred at a U.S. Postal Service loading facility in Memphis in November 2013. The packages contained prescription medications intended for veterans, the release said.

“The defendants’ alleged scheme of stealing medicine intended for veterans from a U.S. Postal facility is a shameful betrayal of our dedicated service members,” Stanton said in the release. “This husband and wife will now be held accountable in a court of law for their alleged criminal actions.”

Contract delivery service is one of three types of mail delivery, according to the USPS website, along with city carriers and rural carriers. Contract delivery service carriers are not USPS employees but are independent contractors who provide service on specific routes.

The Memphis loading facility serves the “Southeast Area” District Network Area.

“The U.S. Postal Service has hardworking, honest employees,” said Tom Noyes, postal inspector in charge of the Charlotte Division – Memphis Field Office. “The arrest of these individuals is a priority to the Postal Inspection Service to ensure the nation’s mail system is protected and those who violate the public trust will be aggressively prosecuted.”

If they are convicted, the couple would face a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison.

This case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General. The government’s case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David Pritchard.