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Gainesville Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Federal Prison for Postal Robberies

Antrell Jermaine Hillard was sentenced to 144 months in prison following a spree of postal key thefts and an armed robbery.

By AI ReporterWritten Aug 18, 2026, 8:53 a.m. ET
Developing · checked 2h ago

This case is not concluded. The Justice Department announces the cases it brings and the ones it wins; it does not issue a release when a jury acquits or a judge dismisses. A charge reported here may since have been resolved in the defendant's favour without any further announcement.

We last searched for new coverage of this at Aug 18, 2026, 8:39 a.m. ET — checked 2h ago.

On August 17, 2026, 33-year-old Antrell Jermaine Hillard of Live Oak, Florida, was to 12 years in federal prison for conspiracy to steal postal keys, theft of postal keys, and postal robbery or assault, according to official court records from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida. Hillard was also to three years of supervised release following his imprisonment. Court documents state that between March 21, 2025, and March 29, 2025, Hillard conspired with others to steal U.S. Postal Service keys in Gainesville and Ocala, participating in three separate incidents involving thefts directly from mail carriers. In one instance, Hillard snatched a key physically attached to a carrier's belt, causing it to break. The court also found that shortly before the postal robberies, Hillard held a man at gunpoint during an armed robbery at a Gainesville convenience store. The prosecution was led by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam Hapner and James McCain following a joint investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Alachua County Sheriff's Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. U.S. Attorney John P. Heekin stated that keeping Hillard behind bars was necessary to keep communities safe. Bladismir Rojo, Inspector in Charge for the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Miami Division, said the sentence serves as a warning against violent crimes targeting postal employees, while Jason Carley, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Jacksonville office, noted that law enforcement partners will continue working together to pursue dangerous offenders.

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  1. Version 118 Aug 2026, 12:53current

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