Grand jury indicts Buffalo man for attacking postal carrier

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that a federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Jacob D. Ortiz, 34, of Buffalo, NY, with assaulting a federal employee, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Colleen M. McCarthy, who is handling the case, stated that according to the indictment and a previously filed complaint, on September 9, 2025, a United States Postal Service (USPS) Letter Carrier, dressed in full uniform, approached the mailbox of a residence on Columbus Avenue in South Buffalo. Ortiz exited the residence. The Letter Carrier believed he was a resident coming to get his mail. However, without warning or provocation, Ortiz lunged toward the Letter Carrier and began punching him in the face and head with his fists. The Letter Carrier suffered cuts, bumps and bruises to his face, behind his left ear, on the back of his head, on his left elbow and below his right knee.

The indictment is the result of an investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Boston Division, under the direction of Acting Inspector-in-Charge Nicholas J. Bucciarelli.

The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

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