Loaded AOKP, phone stopped checking email when in lock screen

[zmonster1]

I had been using Axiom but since it is no longer supported I moved to AOKP. I also use Juice Defender Ultimate to keep my battery in check. With Axiom every few minutes the phone would check for email message even once the screen shut down and show the mail icon in status if there was mail. It made it so I wouldn't have to completely open the phone and wait the 2-3 minutes for the phone to get a data/wifi connection and check for messages. Is there a way to work around this? Once the phone has a signal it will continue to check but it seems not when in standby.

Thanks
Z