Overview
- The fire began on July 20, 2025, when Richard Tillman backed his car into the Almaden Valley U.S. Post Office, doused firelogs and the vehicle with lighter fluid, and ignited them, burning the lobby and forcing the facility to close.
- U.S. District Judge Edward J. Davila sentenced Tillman on Monday to the five-year mandatory minimum in federal prison, ordered three years of supervised release, and required $2,371,682 in restitution with a court-approved payment schedule.
- Tillman pleaded guilty in February to one count of malicious destruction of government property by fire and told authorities he set the blaze to 'make a point to the United States Government,' prosecutors said.
- Defense filings highlighted Tillman’s long-standing mental-health struggles and family trauma, including the death of his brother Pat Tillman, and asked for placement in a minimum-security facility and access to treatment programs.
- Investigators from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, ATF, FBI, San Jose police and the Santa Clara County district attorney worked the case, and prosecutors say the act was livestreamed and destroyed mail belonging to hundreds of customers while creating a risk to first responders.