DENHAM SPRINGS MAN SENTENCED TO 30 MONTHS IN FEDERAL PRISON FOR ASSAULTING A POSTAL EMPLOYEE

United States Attorney Kurt L. Wall announced that Cody Gaspard, age 27, of Denham Springs, Louisiana, was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison following his conviction for assaulting a postal employee. U.S. District Judge Brian A. Jackson further sentenced Gaspard to serve two years of supervised release following his term of imprisonment.

"Postal employees perform an essential public service in every community," said U.S. Attorney Wall. "They deserve to carry out their duties free from threats, intimidation, and violence. While we are pleased with this conviction, the defendant's actions are inexcusable and warranted an even harsher sentence. When a federal employee is assaulted while serving the public, this office will aggressively prosecute those responsible and seek sentences that reflect the seriousness of those crimes."

On April 15, 2025, a United States Postal Service rural letter carrier was delivering mail and packages at an apartment complex in Livingston Parish when Gaspard confronted her over packages that had not yet been delivered. The evidence at trial established that what began as a verbal dispute quickly escalated into a violent assault.

Witnesses testified that Gaspard repeatedly confronted the mail carrier as she attempted to continue performing her delivery duties. During the encounter, Gaspard directed racially charged insults at the mail carrier, followed her through the apartment complex, physically grabbed her by the neck, and assaulted her for more than a minute, eventually lifting her and slamming her to the ground. The assault ended only after another resident intervened to help the mail carrier escape.

Gaspard was found guilty of this crime after a three-day jury trial in March 2026.

During sentencing, the Court also considered a victim impact statement submitted by the National Rural Letter Carriers' Association on behalf of approximately 130,000 rural letter carriers nationwide. The Association explained that violence against postal employees extends beyond the individual victim, undermining the safety of postal workers across the country and threatening the public's ability to receive reliable mail service. The Association urged the Court to impose a sentence that reflected the seriousness of the offense, recognized the physical and emotional harm inflicted on the mail carrier, and deterred future acts of violence against postal employees performing their official duties.

U.S. Attorney Kurt L. Wall praised the work of the United States Postal Inspection Service and Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jamie A. Flowers, Jr. and Ellison C. Travis led the prosecution.