SACRAMENTO, CALIF. — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - California, Eastern), published as received.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal criminal complaint has been filed charging Antoine Rashad Polite, 35, of Sacramento, with delaying and obstructing the delivery of U.S. mail, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.

According to court documents, Polite was employed as a letter carrier by the U.S. Postal Service in Sacramento County and was responsible for delivering mail along an assigned route. Between Sept. 23, 2026, and Oct. 27, 2026, Polite improperly withheld and delayed the delivery of hundreds of pieces of political mail intended for residents on his route.

The investigation began after postal management discovered approximately 493 pieces of political mail that had been placed in an area designated for undeliverable bulk business mail, despite the mail bearing valid, deliverable addresses located on Polite’s route. Investigators later identified an additional 527 pieces of political mail that had not been delivered and were found in undeliverable mail containers and inside Polite’s assigned postal vehicle. Many of the pieces of mail had the addresses marked through and were labeled with notations indicating they were vacant or undeliverable, even though postal officials determined the addresses were valid and deliverable. 

According to the complaint, the withheld mail included campaign materials relating to candidates and ballot propositions appearing on the Nov. 3, 2026, California general election ballot. Postal officials ultimately recovered and delivered the vast majority of the mail to their intended recipients. 

The U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Khasigian is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Polite faces a maximum statutory penalty of six months in prison for obstruction of mail and one year in prison for delay or destruction of mail. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.