Man Accused of Attacking, Spewing Racist Abuse at Mail Carrier When She Delivered Kamala Harris Campaign Ads

A Michigan man accused by federal prosecutors of attacking a mail carrier and spewing racist comments at her after becoming upset about receiving mail ads from former Vice President Kamala Harris has been found guilty of a misdemeanor charge.

On Feb. 27, Russell Valleau, 62, was convicted of assaulting, opposing, impeding, intimidating or interfering with a federal employee, according to federal court records obtained by PEOPLE. He was acquitted of two higher offenses: using a deadly or dangerous weapon to assault a federal employee and interfering with a federally protected activity.

Prosecutors alleged in a probable cause affidavit obtained by PEOPLE that Valleau, who is White, pulled a knife on a female U.S. mail carrier, who is Black, after becoming upset that she delivered campaign mail for former Vice President Kamala Harris on her route in Farmington Hills, Mich., on Sept. 26, 2024.

At the time, Harris, a Democrat, had been campaigning for the presidency in the 2024 election.

Then, Valleau allegedly yelled, “Black b****, suck my d***,” and told the postal worker he did not want that “Black b**** in my mailbox,” seemingly referring to Harris, prosecutors wrote in the affidavit. The postal worker then “used her USPS-issued pepper spray on the man,” who fled on his bike, prosecutors claimed.

Local police who responded to the scene found Valleau lying facedown on a nearby lawn with his bike close by and claimed he appeared to be intoxicated, per the affidavit. Valleau reportedly told investigators, “I didn’t put my hands on that woman. She maced me. I got arrested,” per the affidavit.

Prosecutors said in the affidavit that no knife was recovered from Valleau when he was arrested or when police searched the area. They also alleged Valleau targeted the postal worker because of her race.

“I think that there were mental health and alcohol issues going on with him,” Valleau’s attorney, James Amberg, tells PEOPLE. “This wasn’t a situation where you were dealing with somebody who was a known racist. He was more of somebody who, as I told the jury, existed on the edge of society.”

Amberg adds, “He was getting other people's mail and didn't like that….It had nothing to do with politics.”

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Valleau also faces state charges in connection with the incident. He was charged by the Oakland County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office with one count of ethnic intimidation and one count of assault and battery, per a statement shared in September 2024. 

According to The Detroit News, the case is pending in Oakland County Circuit Court.

According to a Feb. 28 press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Michigan, Valleau is scheduled to be sentenced on May 27 and faces a maximum sentence of one year in prison. Amberg tells PEOPLE that his client has already been behind bars for six months as of March 3.