Georgia Man Sentenced 66 Months Prison Hate Crime Against Postal Worker

William Charles Franklin, a 37-year-old man from Tennille, Georgia, was sentenced to 66 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release for committing a racially motivated hate crime against a U.S. Postal Service letter carrier. Franklin was found guilty of obstruction of the mails, assault upon a federal officer, aggravated assault upon a federal officer, and retaliating against a witness after threatening the letter carrier with racial slurs, threatening to punch and run him over with a tractor, and later hitting the carrier's vehicle with his tractor in a hit-and-run incident. The investigation revealed Franklin's actions were motivated by racial animus, and the court rejected his defense that his behavior was caused by anxiety and depression. Authorities also found firearms in Franklin's possession at the time of his arrest. U.S. Attorney William R. "Will" Keyes and Washington County Sheriff Joel Cochran emphasized the importance of justice for hate crime victims and the message that such behavior will not be tolerated. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service highlighted that attacks on postal employees are attacks on the community and vowed to hold offenders accountable.