Richard Tillman Sentenced to 5 Years for San José Post Office Arson

“I didn’t burn down a building for no reason. I’ve been trying to get people’s attention for a long time,” Tillman said.

Davila, after hearing Tillman’s statement, raised the prospect of whether mental fitness proceedings were needed, but Assistant Federal Public Defender Varell Fuller, representing Tillman, declined.

Fuller said Tillman’s “views may be unpopular, and they may be unorthodox,” but that he didn’t doubt his ability to understand what was happening to him.

Davila also checked directly with Tillman, verifying he understood who his attorney was, and the circumstances he faces.

Tillman affirmed, saying, “I’m going to jail for five years.” He said, “I did the crime, and I am more than happy to do the time.”

The 45-year-old arrived in court in a dark green Elmwood Jail jumpsuit, with long straight salt-and-pepper hair, and a mostly gray long beard.

His mother, father and older brother, who were in court, declined to comment after the proceedings. Fuller also declined to comment.

Authorities said that in the early morning hours of July 20, Tillman loaded his car with “instalogs” he bought from a grocery store and soaked them in lighter fluid.

He then backed the car into the glass doors of the Almaden Valley U.S. Post Office branch at 6525 Crown Blvd. and used a match to light the car on fire, which spread to the building and caused significant damage.

“The lobby of the post office, which was open to the public during business hours for retail transactions and access to post office boxes prior to the fire, was completely destroyed and remains closed to the public to this day,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Pitman wrote in his sentencing filings.

Tillman “intentionally set a massive fire which caused millions of dollars’ worth of damage, destroyed mail belonging to hundreds of people and could easily have injured or killed firefighters, Postal Service employees, or civilian bystanders,” Pitman wrote.

He wanted to “make a point to the United States government” with the fire, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said previously.

Fuller wrote that Tillman “fully appreciates the seriousness and unlawfulness of his offense,” and he noted the fire was set around 3 a.m., when the post office was closed and unoccupied.

“It was never Mr. Tillman’s intention to harm or injure anyone, and fortunately, no member of the public, postal employee or emergency responder was injured,” Fuller wrote.

Prosecutors said Tillman livestreamed the fire on his YouTube account and kept the phone camera rolling while he spoke with firefighters and police officers, who later stopped the stream when they found the phone.

Tillman was arrested that morning and initially charged in state court in Santa Clara County.

But his case was suspended by a judge so doctors could evaluate his competency to stand trial.

Later, after a federal indictment for the same incident was filed against Tillman, local prosecutors dismissed their case.

The maximum federal sentence Tillman could have faced was 20 years.

Fuller noted in court filings that because Tillman has no criminal history and because he accepted responsibility for the crime, his recommended sentence range could have been between 37 and 46 months. However, the minimum sentence for the crime of malicious destruction of government property by fire is five years.

Prosecutors and the federal public defender’s office agreed that the sentence in the plea agreement was “sufficient, but not greater than necessary.”

Tillman’s brother, Pat Tillman Jr., was killed in Afghanistan in 2004 when members of his U.S. platoon fired on him and an Afghan militia member, mistaking them for enemy fighters.

The U.S. government subsequently attempted to cover up the truth about the killing, including by instructing an officer to lie to the soldier’s family about the circumstances of his death.

Fuller wrote that Richard Tillman “lived a productive, law-abiding life for extended periods” and “enjoyed success in the entertainment industry and later became an author and stay-at-home father who devoted years to raising his children as their primary caregiver.”

However, the death of Pat Tillman Jr. had a significant impact on Tillman, along with other struggles in his personal and family life, including a divorce, strain in his family relationships and repeated attempts to seek mental health treatment.

“The death of his brother, Pat Tillman, profoundly affected him and appears to have marked the beginning of many of the difficulties that followed,” Fuller wrote. “By the time of the offense, Mr. Tillman’s life had largely unraveled. He was estranged from much of his family, experiencing periods of homelessness and increasingly isolated from the support systems that had previously provided stability.”

Prosecutors said Tillman’s “history and characteristics present a complex picture, particularly in light of the profound sacrifices he and his family have made in service to the United States.”

Tillman, however, “currently possesses both a warped worldview and the ability to plan and execute violent attacks based on that worldview,” prosecutors wrote. “This is a dangerous combination.”

In recent years, Tillman often livestreamed on his YouTube account from behind the wheel of a parked car. He referred to himself as a god by the name of “Yeshua,” railed against the government, and addressed posts to Taylor Swift as “Sweet Divine Soulmate Baby.”

Fuller asked that Tillman be placed in a minimum-security facility and be allowed to participate in substance abuse treatment programs.

He also requested, and the judge granted a payment schedule for the restitution, “requiring payments of $50 per month, or at least 10% of his gross monthly earnings, whichever is greater.”