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Press Release

Columbus Man Sentenced For Assaulting U.S. Postal Worker

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Ohio

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Gregory D. Braxton, 29, of Columbus, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 53 months in prison and five years of supervised release for robbing and assaulting a female U.S. Postal Service worker.

Carter M. Stewart, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio and Christopher White, Assistant Inspector in Charge, U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) announced the sentence handed down today by U.S. District Judge Michael H. Watson.

According to court documents, on January 14, 2014, a U.S. Postal Service supervisor was delivering a parcel in Columbus, Ohio when Braxton parked his vehicle next to the postal vehicle and approached the worker.  When the defendant said the package was his, the postal supervisor asked Braxton his name and for identification.  Braxton got out of the car with what appeared to be his ID in his hand and approached the Postal Service worker.

Without warning, the defendant struck the Postal Service supervisor in the face, causing her serious bodily injury, and then stole the parcel and sped away from the scene.  Investigators later learned that the package contained approximately six pounds of marijuana that had been shipped from an address in California.

Braxton pleaded guilty on October 14, 2014, to using force and violence to rob a U.S. Postal Service worker. He was also ordered to pay restitution to cover the victim’s medical expenses.

“Medical records, presentence interviews, and the Postal Service employee’s testimony demonstrate that Braxton’s unprovoked attack caused his victim significant harm,” U.S. Attorney Stewart said.  “The force of the blow to the victim’s face knocked her unconscious.  We consider the defendant’s violent crime to be serious and we are holding him fully accountable for his conduct.”

U.S. Attorney Stewart commended the investigation by the USPIS, as well as Assistant United States Attorney Dave DeVillers and Special Assistant United States Attorney Brian Martinez, who represented the United States in this case. 

Updated July 23, 2015