Georgia man who smacked U.S. postal truck with tractor guilty of hate crime
A federal jury found a Georgia man guilty of a hate crime attack after he called a postal carrier racial slurs and, months later, hit the carrier's vehicle with his tractor, the Justice Department announced.
The Justice Department said Thursday that the jury convicted William Charles Franklin following a two-day trial for his racist attack on a United States Postal Service employee in 2024. Franklin escalated his verbal threats against the employee in December by damaging the carrier's vehicle. FBI agents found photos of the carrier on Franklin's phone, plus two AR-15 style rifles, when they executed search and arrest warrants, the department said.
“Violent, hate-filled attacks against federal employees and residents of the Middle District of Georgia will not be tolerated,” C. Shanelle Booker, acting U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, said in the announcement.
Man threatened, attacked latter carrier over several months
The Justice Department became aware of Franklin's actions toward the carrier after the United States Postal Inspection Service received a complaint about Franklin possibly committing threats and obstruction against the employee. Neither the Justice Department nor USPIS named the carrier or detailed the carrier's race.
The carrier shared a recording of a confrontation between him and Franklin on June 11, 2024, when they argued about whether the carrier's USPS vehicle should be moved.
"Franklin was recorded using racial slurs against the letter carrier and stated that his free speech was protected," the department said. "The letter carrier was recorded stating that if he was off duty, such statements and threats would lead to a fight."
The carrier declined to fight with Franklin out of fear he'd lose his job. Franklin then became more aggressive against the employee and used "more salacious racist slurs about him and the community where he lives," prosecutors said. Franklin later threatened to punch the carrier, run him over with his tractor and call someone to bring a rope so he could drag the carrier away, the employee told investigators.
An unnamed family member of Franklin's confirmed getting a call for the rope, prosecutors said.
The Georgia man escalated his tirade against the carrier on Dec. 3 by hitting the carrier's vehicle with his green tractor. The postal employee told the USPIS and Washington County Sheriff's Office he pulled over for the tractor to pass him, but the driver instead hit the vehicle, destroyed a stop sign and fled the scene.
"The tractor was registered to Franklin," the Justice Department said. "In addition, two witnesses reported seeing a vehicle registered to Franklin’s wife come to the area immediately following the incident at a high rate of speed."
Law enforcement executed search and arrest warrants for Franklin in December, where they found two AR-15 styled guns in his truck and a loaded pistol that he was carrying. Authorities also found a picture of the postal employee on Franklin's phone, plus evidence supporting the crimes were motivated by the employee's race, court papers said.
The jury found Franklin guilty of obstructing the mail, assault of a federal officer, aggravated assault of a federal officer and retaliating against a witness, according to court records. He was also found guilty of hate crime enhancements on the two federal officer assault charges and retaliating against a witness.
He's expected to be sentenced June 5, according to court papers. He faces a maximum six-month sentence for obstructing mail and a maximum of 20 years for the rest of the crimes.
“The safety and security of postal employees is core to the mission of the Postal Inspection Service,” said Jessica L. Wagner, Acting Inspector in Charge of the United States Postal Inspection Service, Atlanta Division.
Attacks on postal employees a problem
Franklin's attack on the carrier is the latest in a string of crimes people are accused of committing against postal employees. Last March, the USPIS found that they made 73% more arrests for carrier robberies over the same time period as the prior fiscal year.
"This increase is the direct result of the efforts made by the Postal Inspection Service and federal and local law enforcement partners to aggressively pursue those who rob our letter carriers and steal mail. Since May 2023, the Postal Inspection Service has made over 1,200 arrests for letter carrier robberies and mail theft nationwide."
In February, a Michigan man was found guilty of assault when he attacked a postal worker because of her race, the Justice Department said. Russell Valleau was convicted by a jury of assaulting a federal employee after he received a Black person's mail in his mailbox. The Detroit Free Press, part of the Paste BN Network, said Valleau was angry over receiving mail from Kamala Harris's campaign. The carrier, a Black woman, tried to diffuse the situation but Valleau attempted to attack her through the passenger window.
When arrested, the department said Valleau called the carrier an anti-Black slur several times, at one point being told by police to watch his language. He still faces charges in Michigan for ethnic intimidation and misdemeanor assault and battery.
In January, a woman was arrested after police said she fatally stabbed a postal employee inside of a Harlem deli. A deli worker said the employee, Ray Hodges, was ordering a sandwich when Jaia Cruz argued with him over who was first in line to order. New York City Police arrested Cruz for first-degree murder.
Contact reporter Krystal Nurse at knurse@USATODAY.com. Follow her on X @KrystalRNurse, and on BlueSky @krystalrnuse.bsky.social.