Daijiworld Media Network - San Jose
San Jose, Feb 16: The brother of late NFL star-turned-U.S. Army Ranger Pat Tillman has pleaded guilty to setting fire to a post office in Northern California last summer, federal prosecutors said.
Richard Tillman, 44, entered a guilty plea in federal court on February 9, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California. He was initially charged in July 2025 and later indicted by a grand jury in August on one count of malicious destruction of government property.
Prosecutors said Richard Tillman intentionally drove his vehicle into the Almaden Valley Station Post Office in San Jose, California, on July 20, 2025, before setting the car on fire. The blaze broke out shortly after 3 a.m. PT.
According to officials, he had loaded the vehicle with fire logs, reversed it through the front entrance of the building, exited the car, doused it with lighter fluid and ignited it with a lit match. “The fire quickly spread from the vehicle to the Post Office, completely destroying its lobby,” prosecutors said.
Emergency crews from the San Jose Fire Department and police responded to reports of a vehicle on fire inside the building. Authorities said about 50 personnel were deployed to contain the blaze. No injuries were reported, but the lobby was rendered unusable and the facility was temporarily closed due to significant structural damage.
In pleading guilty, Richard Tillman admitted that he set the fire to “make a point to the United States government,” prosecutors stated.
He remains in federal custody and is scheduled to be sentenced on April 27. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum of 20 years, along with a possible fine of up to $250,000.
Pat Tillman, a former player for the Arizona Cardinals, left his NFL career to join the U.S. Army Rangers following the September 11 attacks. He was killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan in 2004. An annual event, Pat’s Run, is held in Tempe, Arizona, to honour his memory and support the Pat Tillman Foundation.