Richard Tillman pleads guilty to setting fire to San Jose post office

By Jose Fabian

Richard Tillman pleaded guilty to setting fire to a San Jose post office in July of 2025, the Department of Justice said on Monday.

According to the DOJ, Tillman said he set fire to the U.S. Post Office on Crown Boulevard to “make a point to the United States Government.”

The post office’s lobby went up in flames around 3 a.m. on July 20, 2025, when Tillman backed up his vehicle into the building, doused it with lighter fluid, and then set fire to it — and the fire logs that were in the vehicle.

The DOJ said the lobby was destroyed and has been closed since the fire.

Tillman, 44, remains in federal custody and faces a minimum of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000. At most, he could face 20 years for the malicious destruction of government property by fire.

Richard Tillman is the brother of Pat Tillman, a former NFL star and US Army Ranger who was killed in Afghanistan by friendly fire.