Fresno County Man Sentenced for Assaulting a Mail Carrier and Illegally Possessing a Firearm

FRESNO, Calif. — James Gonzales-Gay, 35, of Sanger, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. O'Neill to 12 years and six months in prison for assaulting a mail carrier with the intent to commit robbery, and being a felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.

According to court documents, on September 15, 2017, a mail carrier delivering mail in the area of Maple and Huntington, in Fresno, felt someone jump onto the bumper of his mail delivery truck. Gonzales-Gay appeared at the driver’s door, pulled the mail carrier from the truck, and began driving it away. After Gonzales-Gay drove the mail truck a short distance, the carrier was able to catch up to the truck and disable it. Gonzales-Gay elbowed the mail carrier in the face while struggling over control of the vehicle. After taking the keys from the ignition, the carrier was able to escape. Gonzales-Gay was soon thereafter stopped by law enforcement officers, who found parts of a Taurus handgun on Gonzales-Gay’s person. Gonzales-Gay is prohibited by law from possessing a firearm.

This case was the product of an investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Fresno Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Laurel J. Montoya prosecuted the case.