Michigan man convicted of assaulting postal worker in racist attack over kamala harris mail

FARMINGTON HILLS, MI — A Michigan man faces up to a year in jail after a federal jury found him guilty of assaulting a U.S. Postal Service worker in a profanity-laced, racist tirade over a campaign flyer for then-Vice President Kamala Harris.

Russell Valleau, 62, was convicted of assaulting a federal employee but was acquitted of using a dangerous weapon in the attack, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan announced. The jury also found that Valleau intentionally targeted the postal worker, a Black woman, because of her race.

The incident occurred on Sept. 26, 2024, in Farmington Hills, about 25 miles northwest of Detroit. According to court records, Valleau became enraged when he found a campaign mailer for Harris in his mailbox. He then rode his bicycle to confront the postal worker, yelling, “F— you … Suck my d—, you Black b—.” He also shouted that he did not want “that Black b— in my mailbox.”

Valleau approached the carrier’s truck and continued his verbal assault. When she attempted to de-escalate the situation by instructing him to leave unwanted mail in his mailbox, Valleau escalated further. He moved closer, directing his insults at her personally, and then tried to attack her through the open passenger window of her postal vehicle.

Fearing for her safety, the postal worker sprayed Valleau in the face with her USPS-issued mace and drove away. When officers later apprehended him, Valleau continued his racist tirade, referring to the letter carrier as a “f—ing smelly n—.” When officers admonished him for his language, he responded, “Oh, you like n—s.”

“A letter carrier was simply trying to do her job, and this defendant physically attacked her while using racist and offensive language,” Acting U.S. Attorney Julie A. Beck said. “This type of behavior has no place in our community and will not be tolerated.”

Detroit Division Inspector in Charge Rodney Hopkins emphasized the agency’s commitment to protecting postal workers. “Let this verdict be a warning to those who threaten, intimidate, or otherwise harm the dedicated men and women of USPS: We will arrest you, and we will seek to prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law,” he said.

Valleau’s sentencing is scheduled for May 27, 2025, where he faces up to 12 months in prison. The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Farmington Hills Police Department.

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