Man Who Robbed Rancho Bernardo Post Office Sentenced to 14 Years

SAN DIEGO – A Mission Viejo man was sentenced Friday to 14 years in federal prison for the robbery of a Rancho Bernardo post office, which prosecutors said he carried out with his face painted black.

A federal jury convicted Scott Howard Kimball, 50, in October 2015 of the Jan. 21, 2015 robbery at 16767 Bernardo Center Drive in San Diego.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office in San Diego, evidence presented at trial showed Kimball was "well-disguised" in a baggy hooded sweatshirt, shorts, long socks, gloves and black face paint as he entered the post office. He brandished what appeared to be a semiautomatic handgun, pointing the weapon at about a dozen customers and Postal Service employees, and demanding money from the three employees working at the registers, prosecutors said.

After obtaining an undisclosed amount of cash, Kimball fled the post office with an accomplice acting as a getaway driver.

A few weeks later, postal inspectors identified Kimball as the robber after tracking down the getaway vehicle, a rented Ford Explorer.

“Today's sentence should send a clear message,” said Los Angeles Postal Inspector in Charge Robert Wemyss. “The Postal Inspection Service will not tolerate attacks on our facilities. A large part of the Postal Inspection Service mission is assuring the safety of postal employees and we want them to have confidence that they can focus on their duties. These types of crimes are rare, but when they do occur, they become top priority for us."

Image via U.S. Attorney's Office, San Diego