The brother of late NFL player and war hero Pat Tillman faces two years in prison after pleading guilty to firebombing a San Jose post office using his car over the summer.
Richard Tillman, 44, drove his vehicle into the post office on Crown Boulevard around 3 a.m. on July 20, sparking a fire at around 3 a.m., NBC Bay Area reported.
Police charged Richard — whose family said he struggled with “severe mental issues” — after he spent more than six months in custody.
He pleaded guilty to charges of malicious destruction of government property.
Richard, dressed in an all-yellow prison jumpsuit, was seen smiling while entering his plea.
His since-deleted YouTube page appeared to outline what he described as a mission to bring down the government, ABC7 Eyewitness News reported. In a July 15, 2025 video, he declared that he was going to “take down the whole system” — including the US and what he referred to as the world government.
After the crash, the Tillman family put out a statement addressing Richard’s actions, adding they were “relieved that no one was physically harmed.”
“To be clear, it’s no secret that Richard has been battling severe mental health issues for many years. He has been livestreaming what I’ll call his altered self on social media for anyone to witness,” his brother, Kevin Tillman, wrote in a statement. “Unfortunately, securing the proper care and support for him has proven incredibly difficult — or rather, impossible. As a result, none of this is as shocking as it should be.”
Richard had a short stint in Hollywood but gained national attention when he spoke at his brother’s funeral, pushing back at the religious themes during Pat’s service in 2004.
“He’s not with God. He’s f–king dead. He’s not religious,” Richard said at the time. “So thanks for your thoughts, but he’s f–king dead.”
Pat died in a friendly fire incident in April 2004 at the age of 27 while serving as an Army Ranger in Afghanistan.
The NFL player left his career as a safety with the Arizona Cardinals to join the military.
Pat served multiple tours of duty, including Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was awarded ESPN’s Arthur Ashe Courage Award in 2003 and was posthumously awarded the Army’s Silver Star, Purple Heart, Meritorious Service Medal and Army Achievement Medal.
Richard Tillman, a San Jose native, had previously launched a children’s book series, “LUNA-TIKES,” inspired by life as a stay-at-home dad and featuring sports-themed characters that teach young kids empathy and life lessons.
