Sacramento, California: Postal Carrier Charged With Withholding More Than 1,000 Pieces of Political Mail

A Sacramento postal carrier has been charged in federal court with delaying and obstructing the delivery of U.S. mail, after investigators found more than 1,000 pieces of political mail that had not been delivered to addresses on his route, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California said.

A federal criminal complaint charges Antoine Rashad Polite, 35, of Sacramento, with delaying and obstructing the delivery of mail, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced. FOX40 in Sacramento also reported the charge on Tuesday. Polite worked as a letter carrier for the U.S. Postal Service in Sacramento County and delivered mail along an assigned route, according to court documents cited by prosecutors.

The complaint says that between Sept. 23, 2026 and Oct. 27, 2026, Polite improperly withheld and delayed the delivery of hundreds of pieces of political mail meant for residents on his route. The withheld mail included campaign materials about candidates and ballot propositions on the Nov. 3, 2026 California general election ballot, prosecutors said.

How the mail was found

The investigation began after postal management found about 493 pieces of political mail placed in an area set aside for undeliverable bulk business mail, even though the pieces carried valid, deliverable addresses on Polite's route, according to the complaint. Investigators later found another 527 pieces of political mail that had not been delivered, in undeliverable mail containers and inside Polite's assigned postal vehicle.

Many of the pieces had their addresses marked through and were labeled with notes saying they were vacant or undeliverable, even though postal officials determined the addresses were valid and deliverable, prosecutors said. The two finds total 1,020 pieces of mail. Postal officials ultimately recovered and delivered the vast majority of the mail to the people it was addressed to, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

The case ahead

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

If convicted, Polite faces a maximum penalty of six months in prison for obstruction of mail and one year in prison for delay or destruction of mail, prosecutors said. Any sentence would be set by the court after it considers the federal Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.

The charges in the complaint are allegations only. Polite is presumed innocent unless and until he is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. No court date or response from Polite or a defense attorney was included in the federal announcement.

For Sacramento voters, the detail that matters most in the complaint is the ending. Prosecutors say the recovered campaign mail, material about the same candidates and propositions residents voted on Tuesday, was in the end delivered to almost all of its intended recipients.