GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A Michigan man was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison Thursday for assaulting a U.S. Postal Service employee while attempting to retrieve a parcel containing fentanyl, prosecutors announced.
Benjamin Gregory Shirley, 41, of East Lansing, tried to intercept a package mailed from Tennessee that was addressed to the wrong P.O. Box. When told he couldn’t receive the parcel, Shirley jumped the counter at the East Lansing Post Office and attempted to wrest it from the clerk’s hands.
Postal inspectors later executed a search warrant on the package and discovered fentanyl hidden inside a teddy bear.
“My office stands ready to investigate and prosecute those who assault federal workers,” said U.S. Attorney Timothy VerHey. “Postal workers should be able to come to work and do their jobs without the fear of violence or drugs.”
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service described the act as “reckless,” noting that Shirley’s conduct endangered both postal staff and the public.
Shirley has a prior criminal record and received the 15-month sentence for assaulting a federal employee.