From the U.S. Attorney:
FEDERAL JUDGE SENTENCES MAN TO MORE THAN SEVEN YEARS IN PRISON FOR ROBBING U.S. POSTAL SERVICE CARRIER IN CHICAGO
CHICAGO — A federal judge has sentenced a man to more than seven years in prison for robbing a U.S. Postal Service letter carrier at gunpoint in Chicago.
The robbery occurred on the afternoon of Nov. 10, 2023, in the 900 block of North Francisco Avenue in Chicago.
RICHARD THOMPSON approached the carrier as she was stepping out of her USPS vehicle.
The carrier retreated into the vehicle when she saw Thompson approaching, but Thompson followed her inside and blocked her exit.
He then displayed a handgun and demanded and obtained the carrier’s USPS-issued Arrow Key, which opens certain postal collection boxes.
Thompson then fled the area with the Arrow Key.
He was arrested in May 2024 and has remained in federal custody since then.
At the time of the robbery, Thompson was on pre-trial release in the Circuit Cook of Cook County for an unrelated criminal charge.
Thompson, 54, of Chicago, pleaded guilty last year to a federal robbery charge. On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Andrea R. Wood sentenced Thompson to seven years and two months in federal prison.
The sentence was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Ruth Mendonça, Inspector-in-Charge of the Chicago Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Valuable assistance was provided by the Chicago Police Department. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Branka Cimesa.
“The U.S. Postal Service serves a critically important government function and its employees must be allowed to deliver mail to the American people safely and securely,” said U.S. Attorney Boutros.
Furthermore, stealing a mailbox Arrow Key is a serious crime; it gives criminals access to certain mailboxes of everyday citizens, who rely on the Postal Service to receive their mail. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago will work closely with our law enforcement partners to prosecute to the full extent of the law those individuals who seek to gain access to the public’s mail whether through violence, theft, or fraud.”
“This sentencing is another example of the roles postal inspectors and our law enforcement partners play in protecting Postal Service employees and customers,” said USPIS Inspector-in-Charge Mendonça. “As Postal Service employees continue to play an integral role in our communities, we are clear in our resolve to aggressively investigate anyone who brings harm to these invaluable public servants.”
