Pat Tillman’s Brother Pleads Guilty to Setting Post Office Fire

Richard Tillman, 44, of San Jose pleaded guilty last week in federal court to setting fire to the Almaden Valley U.S. Post Office in San Jose on July 20, 2025. No one was injured. Authorities say he backed a vehicle through the front door, exited and then set it ablaze after loading it with fire logs doused in lighter fluid.

The blaze destroyed the lobby, which housed post office boxes, and the building has been unavailable to the public since the fire. Tillman remains in federal custody and faces a minimum sentence of five years and up to 20 years in prison, plus a $250,000 fine. He is scheduled to be sentenced on April 27.

In pleading guilty, he admitted he intentionally set the fire to "make a point to the United States government." Relatives said they believed the act reflected longtime emotional suffering. His brother, Pat Tillman, left the N.F.L.

United States, San Jose

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