Fargo – United States Attorney Mac Schneider announced that on August 14, 2024, DeShaun Holmes, age 22 from Fargo, ND, appeared before Chief Judge Peter D. Welte, U.S. District Court, Fargo, ND, and was sentenced to 114 months in federal prison, followed by five years supervised released and an order of forfeiture of a Glock 9mm pistol for the offenses of Robbery of a Mail Carrier (18 USC 2114(a)) and Brandishing a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence.
On July 17, 2023, DeShaun Holmes robbed a postal carrier at gun point in Frontier, ND, and stole a key from the carrier to gain access to numerous post office boxes and mail receptacles with the intent to commit further crimes of bank fraud and mail fraud. Thanks to a collaborative investigation between federal and local law enforcement, Holmes was identified, arrested, and charged four days after the offense.
“This defendant targeted a mail carrier in our community because of his job,” Schneider said. “That job is an important and often difficult one, but it should never be dangerous. As this strong sentence shows, the United States Attorney’s Office will forcefully prosecute anyone who threatens the men and women of the United States Postal Service with violence. I want to thank our law enforcement partners for working with our career prosecutors to make sure this defendant faced justice in federal court.”
“The safety and security of Postal Service employees and customers are core to the mission of the United States Postal Inspection Service, and this violent incident is a tremendous example of how local, state, and federal partners can join together to quickly and safely resolve situations like this,” said Denver Division Inspector in Charge Bryan Musgrove “I would like to thank all the emergency responders along with our law enforcement partners at Cass & Clay County Sheriffs as well as Fargo PD for their efforts that led to a successful investigation, arrest and prosecution of DeShaun Holmes. “
“As Sheriff, I know the importance of partnering with our local, state, and federal partners to reduce criminal activity in our communities. This is a prime example of those partnerships. The United States Postal Service was quick to respond when asked to assist with this case. Through that partnership, they worked collaboratively with our agency to identify and arrest Deshawn Holmes for his actions in an armed robbery of one of our local mail carriers in the Frontier neighborhood. The partnership, quick investigative action, and follow-through with the US Attorney’s Office assured that Holmes will be held accountable for his actions and will look to bring justice to the victim in this case. I want to thank all of those who were involved in investigating this case and the US Attorney’s Office for their roles and assistance in bringing this situation to a safe successful conclusion.
This case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service, Cass County Sheriff’s Office, Clay County Sheriff’s Office, and the Fargo Police Department, and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Greenley.
