BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A federal judge sentenced a Montgomery man for the robbery of a U.S. Postal carrier, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and U.S. Postal Inspection Service Acting Inspector-in-Charge Mona Hernandez, Houston Division.
U.S. District Court Judge Corey L. Maze sentenced Anthony Darryl Barber, Jr., 24, to 109 months in prison. In October 2024, Barber pleaded guilty to robbery of a U.S. Postal carrier and using or carrying a firearm during a violent crime.
According to the plea agreement, on May 3, 2023, a U.S. Postal carrier was delivering mail at an apartment complex in Huntsville. Barber approached the carrier, pointed a gun, and took the arrow key – a specialized key used by postal carriers to open U.S. Postal Service mailboxes. Barber then fled the scene. A Morgan County Sheriff’s Office sergeant was on patrol in the area when dispatchers advised of a stolen car tag affixed to a white Nissan Altima. The tag had been reported stolen in Montgomery, Alabama, on April 30, 2023. The sergeant conducted a traffic stop on the white Altima, which Barber was driving. When the sergeant asked Barber to pull the vehicle into a gravel driveway to clear the roadway, Barber sped away. The sergeant pursued Barber in a high-speed chase, which ended with Barber stopping and getting out of the car at the officer’s command. The sergeant found a Glock 27, Gen 5 .40 caliber pistol in the right front pocket of Barber’s pants. A search of the vehicle revealed a beige ski mask and postal arrow key.
The USPIS investigated the case along with the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Davis Barlow prosecuted the case.