The jury condemns the Georgia racist assault man to the USPS operator

A federal jury found a man from Georgia guilty of a hate crime attack after calling a racial insults postal carrier and, months later, hit the airline’s vehicle with his tractor, announced the Department of Justice.

He The Department of Justice said Thursday that the convicted jury William Charles Franklin after a two -day trial for his racist attack against a US postal service employee in 2024. Franklin intensified his verbal threats against the employee in December by damaging the carrier’s vehicle. The FBI agents found photos of the carrier on Franklin’s phone, plus two AR-15-style rifles, when they executed search and arrest orders, the department said.

“The violent and full of hate attacks against the federal and resident employees of the Middle District of Georgia will not be tolerated,” C. Shanelle Booker said by the middle district of Georgia.

The man threatened, attacked the last carrier for several months

The Department of Justice realized Franklin’s actions towards the carrier after the United States’s postal inspection service received a complaint about Franklin possibly committing threats and obstruction against the employee. Neither the Department of Justice nor USPIS called the carrier nor detail the career of the transporter.

The carrier shared a recording of a confrontation between him and Franklin on June 11, 2024, when they discussed whether the transport vehicle of the carrier should move.

“Franklin was registered using racial insults against the card carrier and declared that his freedom of expression was protected,” the department said. “The card carrier was recorded declaring that if he was out of service, such statements and threats would lead to a fight.”

The carrier refused to fight Franklin for fear of losing his job. Franklin became more aggressive against the employee and used “more racist insults on him and the community where prosecutors said. Franklin then threatened to hit the carrier, run over him with his tractor and call someone to bring a rope to drag the operator, the employee told researchers.

An unidentified family member of Franklin confirmed to receive a call for the rope, prosecutors said.

The Georgia man intensified his diatribe against the carrier on December 3 when hitting the carrier’s vehicle with his green tractor. The postal employee told the Sheriff’s office of the USPIS County and in Washington that he stopped for the tractor to pass it, but the driver hit the vehicle, destroyed a high signal and fled the scene.

“The tractor was registered in Franklin,” said the Department of Justice. “In addition, two witnesses reported having seen a vehicle registered in Franklin’s wife to come to the area immediately after the incident at high speed.”

Police executed search and arrest orders for Franklin in December, where they found two AR-15-style weapons in their truck and a loaded gun that was carrying. The authorities also found an image of the postal employee on Franklin’s telephone, in addition to the evidence that the crimes were motivated by the employee’s breed, judicial documents said.

The jury found Franklin guilty of obstructing the mail, the assault of a federal officer, the aggravated assault of a federal official and reprisals against a witness, according to judicial records. He was also convicted of hate crimes improvements for the two positions of assault of federal officers and reprisals against a witness.

It is expected to be sentenced on June 5, according to judicial documents. It faces a maximum sentence of six months to obstruct the mail and a maximum of 20 years for the rest of the crimes.

“The safety of postal employees is essential for the mission of the postal inspection service,” said Jessica L. Wagner, interim inspector in charge of the United States Postal Inspection Service, Atlanta Division.

Attacks to postal employees a problem

Franklin’s attack against the carrier is the last of a series of crimes that people are accused of committing against postal employees. Last March, The USPIS discovered that they made 73% more arrests for transporters’ robberies. during the same period of time as the previous fiscal year.

“This increase is the direct result of the efforts made by the Postal Inspection Service and the Federal and Local Law partners to aggressively pursue those who steal our portfolios and steal mail. Since May 2023, the Postal Inspection Service has made more than 1,200 arrests for theft of cards and robberies of theft at national level.”

In February, A Michigan man was declared assault When he attacked a postal worker due to his career, said the Department of Justice. Russell Valleau was sentenced by a jury for assaulting a federal employee after he received the mail of a black person in his mailbox. Detroit Free Press, part of the USA Today’s network, said Valleau was angry to receive mail from Kamala Harris campaign. The carrier, a black woman, tried to spread the situation, but Valleau tried to attack her through the passenger window.

When arrested, the department said that Valleau called the carrier an anti-negral insult several times, at a time for the police to tell him to observe his language. He still faces charges in Michigan for ethnic intimidation and aggression for minor crimes and aggression.

In January, A woman was arrested after the police said she was fatally stabbed her A postal employee within a Harlem Deli. A Delicatessen worker said the employee, Ray Hodges, was ordering a sandwich when Jaia Cruz argued with him who was the first in the row to order. New York City Police arrested Cruz for first -degree murder.

Contact the reporter Krystal Nurse at [email protected]. Follow her in x @KrystalrnurseAnd in Bluesky @krystalrnuse.bsky.social.