Wilber Castellanos Hernandez, a 33-year-old undocumented Mexican citizen, has been sentenced to 30 months in prison after pleading guilty to carjacking a U.S. Postal Service truck and threatening the postal employee involved.
In addition to his prison term, U.S. District Court Judge David Barlow ordered Hernandez to serve 36 months of supervised release and pay $2,828.89 in restitution for damage caused to the postal vehicle and missing equipment.
Court documents reveal that on February 5, 2024, Hernandez stole a U.S. Postal Service vehicle in Salt Lake City. He admitted to checking the door handle and entering the vehicle. When confronted by the postal employee, he brandished a knife before fleeing. Law enforcement tracked him using GPS technology and apprehended him shortly thereafter.
The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service along with an FBI Task Force Officer from the Salt Lake City Police Department.
Assistant United States Attorney Carlos A. Esqueda prosecuted the case for the District of Utah.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative aimed at reducing violent crime through collaboration between law enforcement agencies and communities. The program emphasizes trust-building within communities, support for violence prevention organizations, strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring outcomes.
For further details about Project Safe Neighborhoods, visit Justice.gov/PSN.
