A Chicago man who robbed a U.S. Postal Service letter carrier at gunpoint while already facing state charges for stealing mail in the West Loop has been sentenced to just over seven years in federal prison.
On Friday, U.S. District Judge Andrea Wood sentenced 54-year-old Richard Thompson to 86 months in prison — a little more than seven years — after accepting his guilty plea to robbing a mail carrier of her postal “arrow key” on November 10, 2023.
According to prosecutors, Thompson and an accomplice targeted the carrier as she made deliveries in the 900 block of North Francisco Avenue. Thompson crossed the street, climbed into her USPS vehicle, brandished a gun, and demanded the universal keys that postal workers use to access mailboxes and building entries across the city.
The carrier complied, but the robbery left lasting damage. In a victim impact statement, she described depression, anxiety, and financial strain after being forced to take leave from work. She told the court she has endured nightmares, constant fear, and a diminished sense of security that continues to affect her daily life.
Thompson was already under scrutiny months earlier. Postal inspectors said that around 3 a.m. on May 2, 2023, they watched him use a stolen arrow key to open a blue collection box at Racine and Adams Streets. He was arrested and charged in state court with theft and possessing burglary tools, then released on electronic monitoring.
But six months later, Cook County Judge Steven Watkins removed the ankle monitor and Thompson allegedly took advantage of the opportunity to rob the mail carrier.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service offered a $150,000 reward for tips about the armed robber. Earlier this year, inspectors announced that the government had approved a reward payment to a tipster who helped investigators connect the crime to Thompson.
In court filings, prosecutors and Thompson’s defense attorney offered starkly different ideas about what his punishment should be.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office pushed for a sentence of 115 months, citing Thompson’s three decades of felony convictions and arguing he posed a serious risk to public safety. Defense attorneys sought as little as 84 months, pointing to his traumatic upbringing, long history of substance abuse, and harsh pretrial confinement conditions at the Kankakee jail, where inmates have no outdoor recreation or in-person visitation.
In the end, Judge Wood landed closer to the defense’s recommendation, sentencing Thompson to 86 months in prison. He will also serve three years of supervised release.
Thompson’s state charges for the West Loop burglary allegations are still pending.
