A Gardena man was sentenced Monday to three years and five months in federal prison for assaulting a U.S. Postal Service employee because he didn’t get a package he felt he was supposed to have already received.
John Leomen Ross, 40, pleaded guilty in November 2024 to one count of assault on a federal employee resulting in bodily injury.
“The defendant here violently attacked a postal employee who was hard at work doing his job,” Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph McNally said in a statement. “We are grateful to our law enforcement partners for their work helping obtain a prison sentence for this defendant.”
On Feb. 21, 2024, the victim was delivering mail in Gardena when Ross approached and stopped the USPS employee. According to the victim, Ross yelled at him and was upset he didn’t get a package he felt he was supposed to have already received.
Ross asked the employee to deliver his mail to a particular Gardena residence where he was allegedly squatting, prosecutors said.
Surveillance video from a home security system showed the USPS employee turning away from Ross and attempting to walk away to continue his postal route. Without warning, Ross then hit the USPS employee on the back of the head, hit him in the eye, and then body slammed the USPS employee to the ground, court papers show.