Prairie State Wire

A man has been sentenced to more than seven years in federal prison for robbing a U.S. Postal Service letter carrier at gunpoint in Chicago. The incident took place on November 10, 2023, in the 900 block of North Francisco Avenue. According to authorities, Richard Thompson approached the carrier as she exited her USPS vehicle. When the carrier retreated into her vehicle, Thompson followed her inside, blocked her exit, and displayed a handgun. He demanded and obtained the carrier’s USPS-issued Arrow Key, which provides access to certain postal collection boxes, before fleeing the scene.

Thompson was arrested in May 2024 and has remained in federal custody since his arrest. At the time of the robbery, he was already on pre-trial release for an unrelated criminal charge in Cook County.

Thompson pleaded guilty last year to a federal robbery charge. On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Andrea R. Wood sentenced him to seven years and two months in prison.

The sentencing 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. The Chicago Police Department provided assistance during the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Branka Cimesa represented the government.

“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.”