SAN JOSE – A 51-year-old San Jose man has been sentenced to nearly 11 years in federal prison for brutally beating and robbing a U.S. Postal Service letter carrier in 2024, prosecutors said.
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Robert Cordova, also known as Robert Cardona, pleaded guilty in late March to one count of federal assault and one count of federal robbery, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The incident happened near the intersection of Taylor and 13th streets on Nov. 22, 2024.
In his plea agreement, Cordova admitted he climbed into a USPS mail truck with the intent to steal mail, prosecutors said, adding that a letter carrier interrupted the theft.
Prosecutors said Cordova punched the letter carrier in the face, knocking him to the ground, and then got on top of him and punched him several more times in the face and head.
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The letter carrier suffered a broken nose and a fractured orbital socket, prosecutors said. His injuries also required the placement of a permanent metal plate inside his face.
“Today’s sentence underscores our unwavering commitment to protecting federal employees who serve the public every day,” U.S. Attorney Craig Missakian said in a statement. “Anyone who attacks postal workers – or any public servant – will be held fully accountable.”
In addition to 129 months behind bars, U.S. District Court Judge Beth Labson Freeman ordered Cordova to serve three years of supervised release when he gets out of prison.
Cordova was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service to be taken to the Bureau of Prisons.
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