Hartford Man Sentenced to 27 Months in Prison for Assaulting USPS Employee

Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that DEMORSE KELLEY, 39, of Hartford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to 27 months of imprisonment, followed by three months in a halfway house and three years of supervised release, for assaulting a U.S. Postal Service letter carrier.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on June 7, 2019, a U.S. Postal Service letter carrier was sorting mail inside her postal delivery van that was parked on Sigourney Street in Hartford.  Kelley approached the van from the sidewalk, slid the side door of the van so that it was fully open and then spoke to the letter carrier.  Kelley commented the letter carrier on her appearance and asked her for a hug and for her phone number.  Kelley then climbed into the postal van and allowed the door to close behind him.  During the incident, Kelley touched the letter carrier’s leg below her shorts, made sexual advances and obstructed the letter carrier’s ability to exit.  After a few minutes, the letter carrier was able to exit the van and called Hartford Police, who arrested Kelley later that day.

Kelley has been detained since his arrest.  He pleaded guilty to the offense on January 21, 2021.

This matter was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Hartford Police Department.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nancy V. Gifford.