TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA â Darius Lee Allen, 26, of Tallahassee, Florida, was sentenced yesterday to 24 monthsâ imprisonment for assaulting a United States Postal Service (USPS) mail carrier with a firearm. Lawrence Keefe, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the sentence.
As part of his official duties, a USPS mail carrier was delivering mail in a residential neighborhood in Tallahassee on April 2, 2020. As he attempted to deliver to a mailbox, Allen demanded that the carrier hand him the mail instead. In accordance with USPS policy, because the mail carrier did not recognize Allen as a resident of that address, he refused Allenâs demand and placed the mail in the mailbox. About 20 minutes later, as the carrier continued delivering mail to other homes in the neighborhood, Allen approached the mail carrierâs vehicle on foot and discharged a firearm in the air. After doing so, Allen immediately retreated. The mail carrier also fled the scene in his vehicle and called 911 to report the incident. Officers from the Tallahassee Police Department responded and located the firearm Allen had discharged as well as the spent casing from the round that was fired. Allen was subsequently arrested.
âThe Postal Service has been a cornerstone of our republic for some 245 years, and the American public has relied on it for secure delivery of items both important and routine,â United States Attorney Keefe said. âIndividuals commit a crime when they try to disrupt a mail carrierâs solemn duty, and Allenâs assault on this federal officer also endangered others in the area.â
This sentencing resulted from the collaborative work of the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) and the Tallahassee Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lazaro P. Fields.
âProtecting the safety of our USPS employees is our most important mission, and Inspectors will continue the great work of bringing those who attack the USPS to justice,â said Antonio J. Gomez, Inspector in Charge of the USPIS, Miami Division.
Press Release – U.S. v. Allen – December 16, 2020
Source: USAO-NDFL | Department of Justice