Pat Tillman's brother pleads guilty to setting US Post Office on fire
Pat Tillman's brother pleads guilty to setting US Post Office on fire
Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY Mon, February 16, 2026 at 4:09 AM UTC
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Pat Tillman's brother pleads guilty to setting US Post Office on fire
The brother of late NFL star turned U.S. Army Ranger Pat Tillman has pleaded guilty to setting fire to a U.S. Postal Office in Northern California last summer, federal prosecutors said.
Richard Tillman, 44, pleaded guilty in federal court on Monday, Feb. 9, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California. He was initially charged in July 2025 and indicted by a grand jury on one count of malicious destruction of government property in August 2025.
Prosecutors said Richard Tillman intentionally crashed his vehicle into the Almaden Valley Station Post Office and then lit the car on fire on July 20, 2025. The Almaden Valley Station Post Office is located in San Jose, California.
1 / 0Ted Williams, Joe Louis, Rocky Bleier, Pat Tillman and other notable athletes who servedBaseball player Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox served in the United States Marine Corps during the Korean War, circa 1952.
Local fire and police departments responded to reports of a vehicle on fire in the post office's lobby shortly after 3 a.m. PT, the postal inspection service previously told USA TODAY. When officers arrived at the scene, the San Jose Police Department said they "discovered a vehicle had been driven into the post office and caught fire, causing the entire building to catch on fire."
Following the incident, the postal inspection service said the Almaden Valley Station Post Office was temporarily closed after "sustaining significant building damages by a private vehicle driving into the facility." Prosecutors noted that the fire rendered the building's lobby unusable, and it has not been available to the public since then.
Prosecutors said Richard Tillman remains in federal custody and his sentencing hearing is scheduled for April 27. He faces a minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum sentence of 20 years, along with a $250,000 fine.
Prosecutors: Richard Tillman wanted to 'make a point' to US government
In pleading guilty, Richard Tillman admitted that he intentionally set the fire to “make a point to the United States government," according to prosecutors.
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Prosecutors said Richard Tillman had loaded his vehicle with fire logs before backing the car through the post office's front door. He then got out of the vehicle, doused it with lighter fluid, and threw a lit match into the car.
"The fire quickly spread from the vehicle to the Post Office, completely destroying its lobby," prosecutors said.
About 50 personnel responded to the scene, and the fire was extinguished with no injuries, according to the San Jose Fire Department.
'Goes everywhere Americans have gone': Whether by train, plane or dog sled, the US Postal Service has kept America connected
Who is Pat Tillman?
Pat Tillman played for the Arizona Cardinals, but walked away from a new contract offer to join the U.S. Army Rangers in the wake of the 9/11 terror attacks. Another brother, Kevin, joined him.
Pat Tillman, who was born in the San Jose area, was killed by friendly fire in 2004 while serving in Afghanistan. An annual race, Pat's Run, is held each spring in Tempe, Arizona, to honor him and raise funds for the Pat Tillman Foundation.
Contributing: N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA TODAY; Chris Coppola, Arizona Republic
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pat Tillman's brother pleads guilty to setting US Post Office on fire
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