District of Minnesota

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Cottage Grove man was sentenced to 400 months in prison and a lifetime of supervised release, and was ordered to pay $132,000 to funds supporting victims, for the production, attempted production, and possession of child pornography. Acting U.S. Attorney Charles Kovats made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson sentenced the defendant.

According to court documents, between June 2019 through February 2021, Peter James Monson, 38, engaged in “catfishing” by taking on false personas to communicate with children on the internet, including via Snapchat. Monson made a fake Snapchat profile of a 16-year-old girl named “Brianna” and asked minor girls to create sexually explicit photos and videos of themselves to send to Monson so they could be rated by others as “princesses.” In order to participate as a “princess,” Monson used “Brianna’s” profile to instruct the girls to follow certain rules, including creating and sending images and videos of the girls nude or engaging in sex acts, including bestiality and incest.

In addition, according to court documents, in April 2020, Monson used his iPhone to make a secret recording of an eight-year-old while the child was getting dressed.

Monson pleaded guilty on October 5, 2021, to two counts of production and attempted production of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

If you know of any child who may have been a victim of exploitation, please call the National Center for Missing or Exploited Children (NCMEC) at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678) or visit NCMEC’s web site at www.missingkids.com.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI Minneapolis Field Office, the FBI Philadelphia Field Office, the Cottage Grove Police Department, and the Pennsylvania State Police.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Miranda E. Dugi.

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St. Paul, Minn. — Following a trial that lasted nearly five weeks, a federal jury in St. Paul, Minnesota found three former Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) officers guilty of federal civil rights offenses arising out of the death of George Perry Floyd, Jr. on May 25, 2020.

Former MPD Officers Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng were found to have deprived Mr. Floyd of his constitutional right to be free from an officer’s unreasonable force when each willfully failed to intervene to stop former MPD Officer Derek Chauvin’s use of unreasonable force, resulting in bodily injury to and the death of Mr. Floyd. Thao, Kueng, and former MPD Officer Thomas Lane also were found to have deprived Mr. Floyd of his constitutional right to be free from a police officer’s deliberate indifference to his serious medical needs when they saw him restrained in police custody in clear need of medical care and willfully failed to aid him, resulting in bodily injury to and the death of Mr. Floyd. Both offenses are violations of Title 18, United States Code, Section 242.

The convictions announced today are separate from and in addition to any and all charges the State of Minnesota has brought against these former officers related to the death of Mr. Floyd. The federal charges addressed civil rights offenses that criminalize violations of the U.S. Constitution.

“Those who have sworn to enforce our nation’s laws must abide by them. Today’s verdict recognizes that two police officers violated the Constitution by failing to intervene to stop another officer from killing Mr. Floyd, and three officers violated the Constitution by failing to provide aid to Mr. Floyd in time to prevent his death,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The Justice Department will continue to seek accountability for law enforcement officers whose actions, or failure to act, violate their constitutional duty to protect the civil rights of our citizens.”

Acting United States Attorney Charles J. Kovats stated, “Today, former officers Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng, and Thomas Lane stand convicted by a jury of their peers of willfully violating Mr. Floyd’s civil rights. The same rights guaranteed to each and every one of us by the United States Constitution. They had a moral responsibility, constitutional requirement, legal requirement, and a duty to intervene… and by failing to do so, they committed a crime. This is a reminder that all sworn law enforcement, regardless of rank or seniority, individually and independently have a duty to intervene and to provide medical aid to a person in need.”

Co-defendant Derek Chauvin previously entered a guilty plea in connection with the federal case.  Chauvin pleaded guilty to willfully depriving Mr. Floyd of his constitutional rights while Chauvin was serving as an MPD officer. Chauvin also acknowledged that his conduct resulted in death and that he acted in callous and wanton disregard of the consequences to Mr. Floyd’s life.  In addition, Chauvin was tried in state court and convicted of second-degree murder. In 2021, Chauvin was sentenced in state court to 22.5 years in prison.

Evidence presented at the federal trial for defendants Thao, Kueng, and Lane established that on May 25, 2020, then-MPD Officer Chauvin held his knees on Mr. Floyd’s neck and back as Mr. Floyd lay on the ground, handcuffed and unresisting.  As soon as Mr. Floyd was on the ground, Chauvin placed his knee on the back of Mr. Floyd’s neck, while Kueng placed his knee on Floyd’s lower body. Chauvin would not remove his knee for the next nine minutes and twenty-nine seconds, and Kueng maintained his position for the next eight minutes and eleven seconds. Throughout this period, Mr. Floyd pleaded with officers 25 times to let him breathe.

As Mr. Floyd lost consciousness and a pulse, Chauvin and Kueng maintained their positions on his body. Even as Mr. Floyd ceased movement and stopped speaking, and even as Lane noted that Mr. Floyd was “passing out” and Kueng said he could not find a pulse, none of the CPR-certified defendants did anything to stop Chauvin from keeping his knee on Mr. Floyd’s neck or to render the medical aid that they were trained and required to provide. Even as EMTs arrived and checked Mr. Floyd’s pupils and pulse, Chauvin did not move his knee and the other officers on scene did not render aid to Mr. Floyd.

Firefighters and EMTs unsuccessfully attempted to revive Mr. Floyd on the way to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The county medical examiner ruled Mr. Floyd’s death was a homicide due to cardiopulmonary arrest complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression.

After the incident, an MPD supervisor and, later, an MPD lieutenant, spoke with Lane and Kueng. On both occasions, Lane and Kueng both omitted that Chauvin had knelt on Mr. Floyd’s neck, that Mr. Floyd had been restrained on his stomach for nine and a half minutes, that Mr. Floyd had lost consciousness, and that officers had not been able to find a pulse.  Additionally, Kueng told the supervisor that Mr. Floyd did not stop moving until after an ambulance arrived on scene, which he admitted at trial was false.  At trial, the MPD lieutenant testified that, after watching video taken by a bystander, he realized that what he was told and what was on the video was “totally different.”  He further testified that if an MPD officer observed another officer using too much force or doing something illegal, the officer has a duty to intervene to stop it, regardless of rank or seniority.  Testimony offered at trial established that this duty to intervene is enshrined in MPD policy and is a component of the police department’s training program. 

Evidence presented at trial also showed that MPD officers were required to complete emergency medical responder (EMR) training prior to entering the police academy, which includes CPR training. Further, MPD policy requires officers to determine if a subject is injured after a use of force and to render medical aid as soon as reasonably practical and requires officers assisting a person experiencing a medical crisis to provide first aid while awaiting EMS.

The jury found that the defendants disregarded this training and willfully violated Mr. Floyd’s constitutional rights.  Kueng and Thao failed to intervene to stop Chauvin’s use of unlawful force and all three defendants failed to provide aid to Mr. Floyd as he suffered a medical emergency at the hands of a fellow police officer.  

No sentencing date has been set. The statutory maximum sentence for the death-resulting violation of section 242 is life in prison.

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats, and Special Agent in Charge Michael F. Paul of the FBI’s Minneapolis Division announced today’s verdict.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with the cooperation of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. The case is being prosecuted by Special Litigation Counsel Samantha Trepel and Trial Attorney Tara Allison of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Samantha Bates, LeeAnn Bell, Evan Gilead, Manda Sertich, and Allen Slaughter of the District of Minnesota.

MINNEAPOLIS – A Hopkins man has been sentenced to 27 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release and $336,040.45 in restitution for tax evasion after failing to file income tax returns since 1997. Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson sentenced the defendant.

As proven at trial, between 1987 and 2017, Daniel Berglund, 64, was the owner and sole employee of Faith Software (FAITH) where he worked as a computer language instructor. Despite earning a substantial income annually through FAITH, Berglund did not file any individual income tax returns since 1997, and never once filed a corporate tax return of any kind on behalf of FAITH. Proving that he was well aware of his tax obligations, Berglund took numerous steps to hide his income from the IRS, including giving his FAITH clients a fabricated Tax Identification Number to prevent their payments from being reported to the IRS as income attributable to him, depositing clients’ payments into accounts where the funds would not be traceable to him, and converting his income into silver that he stashed in concealed locations in his home. Berglund’s evasion resulted in a total tax debt of approximately $336,040.45.

On October 8, 2021, Berglund was convicted by a federal jury on four counts of tax evasion.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the IRS Criminal Investigation Division with the assistance of IRS Field Collections.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew S. Ebert and Kimberly A. Svendsen.

MINNEAPOLIS – A federal jury found a Kenyon woman guilty of embezzling more than $700,000 from the owners of several Denny’s restaurant franchises around the Twin Cities and from a family-owned construction company in Rochester, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats.

Following a five-day jury trial before U.S. District Court Chief Judge John R. Tunheim, Kimberly Sue Peterson-Janovec, 59, of Kenyon, was convicted on 24 counts of fraud, aggravated identity theft, and tax crimes. Notably, Peterson-Janovec has a prior federal fraud conviction from 1998, when she embezzled more than $950,000 from another former employer.

Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats stated, “Over the course of several years, Ms. Peterson-Janovec deliberately abused her professional position to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from her employers. With this guilty verdict, Ms. Peterson-Janovec has been held accountable for her actions. I applaud the prosecutors and investigators for skillfully unraveling this years-long fraud scheme and achieving a successful outcome.”

“Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) is relentless in unraveling the fraudulent actions of those, such as Kimberly Peterson-Janovec, who scheme to defraud their employers and those who trust them,” said Special Agent in Charge Justin Campbell of IRS-CI’s Chicago Field Office. “This guilty verdict is a reminder that there are real, life-changing consequences for this type of dishonest and criminal behavior.”

“This guilty verdict reaffirms the critical role the U.S. Postal Inspection Service plays in protecting American consumers and businesses from fraudulent schemes,” said Inspector in Charge Ruth Mendonça. “Postal Inspectors proudly ensure the sanctity of the U.S. Mail to prevent criminals from perpetuating crimes that impact the financial well-being of our citizens.”

According to the evidence presented at trial, in 2014, Peterson-Janovec became the Director of Operations for MI5, Inc., a Denny’s franchisee that owned and operated eight Denny’s franchises in Minnesota and Wisconsin. In this role, Peterson-Janovec had extensive managerial oversight for all eight restaurants, including payroll, cash deposits, vendor and contractor billing, marketing, and coordinating reimbursements from Denny’s Corporate.

According to the evidence presented at trial, from April 2014 through July 2019, Peterson-Janovec used her position to embezzle funds from MI5 and Denny’s Corporate by generating and submitting false requests for vendor payments and then diverting those payments for her own use and benefit. Peterson-Janovec also manipulated the company’s payroll system to issue herself unauthorized compensation using the names of employees who no longer worked for the company. As part of the scheme, Peterson-Janovec falsified records, created fake email accounts, and generated fake email traffic in which she impersonated employees of various purported vendors. In total, Peterson-Janovec received approximately $336,000 in bogus vendor payments and approximately $20,000 in fraudulently issued payroll submissions using the identities of other people.

According to the evidence presented at trial, in July 2019, MI5, Inc., discovered aspects of Peterson-Janovec’s fraud and terminated her employment. After her termination, in early 2020, Peterson-Janovec lied about her work experience to get another bookkeeping job with a family-owned construction company in Rochester, identified as Company 3. Peterson-Janovec started as its bookkeeper, earned Company 3’s trust, and eventually was promoted to its general manager. Peterson-Janovec used her position to devise and execute a similar fraud scheme on Company 3. She used her access to Company 3’s QuickBooks to issue herself numerous payments, and she did so in a manner that made the payments appear as if they were going to Company 3 vendors. This netted Peterson-Janovec another $350,000 in as little at 18 months.

In total, Peterson-Janovec stole more than $700,000 from her employers, which she used to finance her lifestyle and hobbies, including a substantial down payment on her personal residence. Peterson-Janovec also committed tax crimes during every year of her fraud scheme, which led to over $160,000 in unpaid taxes.

Peterson-Janovec was found guilty on 13 counts of wire fraud, two counts of mail fraud, three counts of aggravated identity theft, three counts of making and subscribing a false tax return, and three counts of failure to file individual tax returns. A sentencing date has yet to be scheduled.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Burnsville Police Department, and the Criminal Investigation Division of the IRS.

This case was tried by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jordan L. Sing and Kimberly A. Svendsen.

MINNEAPOLIS – A Brooklyn Park man has been sentenced to a year and a day in prison for his role in passing a stolen tax refund check. Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge Ann D. Montgomery sentenced the defendant.

According to court documents, Wesley David Richards, 46, admitted to participating in a fraud scheme that involved depositing counterfeit, stolen, or otherwise illegitimate checks into fraudulent bank accounts and then making cash withdrawals and debit card purchases. In April 2017, Richards arranged for a stolen federal tax refund check in the amount of $27,167.57 to be deposited into a fraudulent U.S. Bank account. After the check was deposited, Richards and others acquired cash from the fraudulent bank account.

On September 23, 2021, Richards pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting passing a treasury check bearing a false endorsement or signature.

“This result demonstrates the commitment of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration to investigate and bring to justice those that victimize the American taxpayer,” said J. Russell George, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA). The success of this investigation is the result of a collaborative effort between TIGTA and the dedicated staff at the United States Attorney’s Office.”

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA).

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander D. Chiquoine prosecuted the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – A Minneapolis man has been sentenced to 262 months in prison for seven violent armed robberies of Twin Cities businesses. Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge Ann D. Montgomery sentenced the defendant.

According to court documents, on July 28, 2020, Derrick Lee Spillman, 41, robbed three Twin Cities businesses, including a Holiday gas station and two liquor stores. During the robberies, Spillman pointed a handgun at employees and ordered them to the ground. On July 30, 2020, Spillman continued his crime spree by robbing two additional Holiday gas stations, a Speedway gas station, and a Subway restaurant. During these incidents, Spillman pointed a handgun at employees, racked the slide of the gun, and demanded cash from the registers.

On August 10, 2021, Spillman pleaded guilty to seven counts of Hobbs Act robbery and one count of brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.

This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, the Minneapolis Police Department, the Fridley Police Department, the Brooklyn Center Police Department, the New Hope Police Department, and the St. Paul Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin A. Wesley prosecuted the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – Steve Anthony Shand, 47, has been indicted by a federal grand jury on two counts of human smuggling, announced Acting United States Attorney Charles J. Kovats.

According to court documents, on January 19, 2022, law enforcement agents with Homeland Security Investigations responded to a request for assistance from the U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) based out of Pembina, North Dakota. USBP initiated a traffic stop on a white-colored, fifteen passenger van less than one mile south of the U.S./Canadian border in a rural area between the official ports of entry located at Lancaster, Minnesota and Pembina, North Dakota. Shand was identified as the driver of the vehicle. Law enforcement asked for identification of the two passengers in the van and determined them to be undocumented Indian nationals. Shand was taken into custody by USBP agents.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Provinzino is prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

 

MINNEAPOLIS – A White Earth man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release for a violent domestic assault. Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Patrick J. Schiltz sentenced the defendant.

According to court documents, Nicholas Edward Durant, 31, was living with the victim in a residence located on the White Earth Indian Reservation. On April 3, 2020, Durant violently assaulted the victim, hitting her multiple times in the chest, abdomen, face, and head. The victim was treated for a deep laceration below her eye, extreme back pain, and a traumatic hematoma of the head.

On October 25, 2021, Durant pleaded guilty to one count of assault resulting in serious bodily injury.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Mahnomen County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Mahnomen County Attorney’s Office.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily A. Polachek.

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MINNEAPOLIS – A Minneapolis man has been sentenced to 108 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for illegally possessing a firearm and ammunition as a felon. Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Wilhelmina M. Wright sentenced the defendant.

According to court documents, on May 21, 2020, law enforcement arrested Deshawn Tyrone Braziel, 37, who had an outstanding warrant and was suspected in connection with a shooting that occurred in Minneapolis on April 16, 2020. At the time of his arrest, Braziel was wearing a backpack containing a loaded Springfield XD 9mm pistol, 94 ecstasy pills, and a digital scale. Because Braziel has prior felony convictions in Hennepin County, including convictions of drive-by shooting, drug possession, and terroristic threats, he is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time.

This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Minneapolis Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Allison K. Ethen prosecuted the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – A Minneapolis man has been sentenced to 150 months in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release for possessing images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of minors. Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Eric C. Tostrud sentenced the defendant.

According to court documents, Gene Paul Schave, 50, is a registered sex offender who was convicted in 2010 in Minnesota state court for possessing child pornography. On October 3, 2019, while on supervised release for his previous conviction, Schave was found to be in possession of an Asus tablet that contained more than 3,000 images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of minors.

On August 12, 2021, following a four-day trial, a federal jury convicted Schave on one count of possession of child pornography.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and the Minneapolis Police Department.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emily A. Polachek and Miranda E. Dugi.

MINNEAPOLIS – A federal criminal complaint has been filed against an Owatonna sex offender for sending graphic threats detailing a murder plot against his former child sexual abuse victim, announced Acting United States Attorney Charles J. Kovats.

According to court documents, in March 2021, the Upper Allen Township Police Department in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, began investigating Michael Lee Kurkowski, 26, regarding the communication and exchange of sexually explicit images of a minor. The investigation revealed that Kurkowski possessed sexually explicit images and videos of a minor and was aware that his victim was, at the time, a minor under the age of 18. Kurkowski also admitted to traveling to Pennsylvania to locate the minor and to try to continue a “relationship” after the minor attempted to end the online communications with Kurkowski. On April 14, 2021, Kurkowski was charged in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, of multiple felonies related to the sexual exploitation of the minor and was sentenced to 142 days in prison followed by probation. Kurkowski’s probation conditions included, among other things, the requirement to register as a sex offender, refraining from behavior which may present a danger to others, and not possessing weapons.

According to court documents, in December 2021, law enforcement began investigating Kurkowski’s online communications and sexual exploitation of a minor in East Peoria, Illinois. In January 2022, investigators with the East Peoria Police Department (EPPD) reviewed several messages from Kurkowski to the minor describing in graphic detail a plan to travel to Pennsylvania where Kurkowski would murder the parents of his former victim, rape his sister, and then kill her in front of his former victim. EPPD also notified the Cedar Falls Police Department after the investigation revealed that Kurkowski was also engaging in the sexual exploitation of a second minor in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

According to court documents, on February 4, 2022, investigators with the Owatonna Police Department learned that Kurkowski had purchased a Greyhound bus ticket and was currently en route to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the general location of Kurkowski’s former victim and his family. FBI investigators developed information on Kurkowski’s whereabouts and were able to track him to a bus stop in Toledo, Ohio, where authorities took Kurkowski into custody. According to court documents, when he was arrested, Kurkowski had with him a bag containing among other things 16 heavy flex cuffs, electrical tape, a taser, a large knife, rubber gloves, and hooded facemasks.

Kurkowski has been charged by complaint in the District of Minnesota with one count of threatening interstate communication. Kurkowski made his initial appearance yesterday before Magistrate Judge Darrell A. Clay in the Northern District of Ohio, who ordered that Kurkowski be detained temporarily and removed to Minnesota, where he will make his initial appearance and have a detention and preliminary hearing at a later date.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, the Owatonna Police Department, the Upper Allen Township (Pennsylvania) Police Department, the East Peoria (Illinois) Police Department, and the Cedar Falls (Iowa) Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura M. Provinzino is prosecuting the case.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

MINNEAPOLIS – A Maplewood man has pleaded guilty to illegally possessing a firearm as a felon, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats.

According to court documents, on October 12, 2021, Metro Transit Police Officers were dispatched to a report of a vehicle stuck on the light rail tracks in St. Paul. At the scene they found Deandre Lenier Neal-Hill, 34, unconscious in the driver’s seat of a maroon Chevrolet Malibu. The vehicle, with the engine still reviving, had a flat tire and was stuck in the tracks. Officers removed an unresponsive Neal-Hill from the vehicle and began preforming emergency medical aid until the paramedics arrived and took him to a hospital.

According to court documents, as officers extracted Neal-Hill from the vehicle, officers observed a black handgun on the floorboard on the driver’s side of the vehicle, which was later determined to be an FNH USA model 503 9mm semiautomatic pistol. Neal-Hill’s pistol was loaded with one round in the chamber and seven bullets in the inserted magazine. Neal-Hill was also in possession of marijuana, methamphetamine, and oxycodone pills.

Because Neal-Hill has prior felony convictions, including convictions of drive-by shooting, assault, and drug sale, he is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time.

This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the ATF, the FBI, the St. Paul Police Department, and the Metro Transit Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew S. Ebert and Thomas Calhoun-Lopez are prosecuting the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats today announced federal charges against seven individuals for violent criminal activity, including carjacking, drug trafficking, illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, and possession of a machine gun.

According to court documents, in mid-2021, law enforcement had documented a recent increase in gang activity along with numerous violent incidents, including shootings and murders, in and around the intersection of Chicago Avenue and Franklin Avenue in south Minneapolis. On June 10, 2021, officers with the Minneapolis Police Department conducting surveillance in the area observed several individuals engaging in what appeared to be hand-to-hand drug deals. When officers approached the group, Albert Walter Bratton, III, 26, attempted to flee on foot, but officers were able to apprehend him after he stumbled and fell. After Bratton fell, officer recovered a Glock model 43, 9 mm semiautomatic pistol with an extended magazine, which Bratton had removed from his waistband. Officers later recovered from Bratton’s possession two baggies containing a total of approximately 10 grams of crack cocaine, divided into several smaller baggies for distribution. Bratton has been charged via criminal complaint with one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and one count of carrying a firearm during a drug trafficking crime.

According to court documents, on June 15, 2021, Marion Quintel Ware, 19, carjacked a 2007 Ford Focus by using force, violence, and intimidation against the victim. A recently unsealed indictment charges Ware with one count of aiding and abetting carjacking.

According to court documents, on July 21, 2021, Namiri Love Laquandas Tanner, 21, was in possession of a .40-caliber Glock pistol with a high-capacity magazine, equipped with an attached conversion device, commonly known as a “glock switch” or “auto-sear.” These devices are designed to convert a semi-automatic weapon to shoot automatically by a single pull of the trigger and are classified as machine guns under federal law. A recently unsealed indictment charges Tanner with one count of possession of a machine gun.

Four additional defendants have been indicted for illegal possession of firearms and ammunition. Shamar Jamareus Scott, 21, is charged with one count of possessing a firearm as a felon. Anthony Shaquan Kemp, Jr., 22, is charged with one count of possessing a firearm as a felon. Devon Martell Harmon and Tiray Yvonne Dyson, both 38, are each charged with one count of possessing ammunition as a felon. All four defendants have previous felony convictions and are therefore prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition.

The defendants made their initial appearances earlier today in U.S. District Court before Magistrate Judge David T. Schultz.

These cases are being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

These cases are the result of an investigation led by the Minneapolis Police Department, the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations and the United States Secret Service.

These cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amber M. Brennan and Harry M. Jacobs.

An indictment/complaint is merely an allegation and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

MINNEAPOLIS – A St. Paul man has pleaded guilty to fraud, money laundering, and aggravated identity theft in connection to a more than $840,000 covid-relief fraud scheme, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats.

According to court documents, Kyle William Brenizer, 33, was the owner and manager of True-Cut Construction LLC (“True-Cut”), a contracting and construction company located in Brooklyn Park. In August 2018, True-Cut and Brenizer were ordered by the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry to cease and desist from doing business. In December 2019, True-Cut’s contractor license expired and was never renewed.

According to court documents, on May 1, 2020, Brenizer submitted a false and misleading Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) application in the name of True-Cut seeking approximately $841,000, but the application was denied. On May 12, 2020, Brenizer again submitted a false and misleading PPP application in the name of True-Cut seeking approximately $841,000 in PPP funds. This time, in order to conceal his role in submitting a fraudulent application  , Brenizer submitted the application under the name of another individual whom Brenizer falsely claimed was the 90 percent owner of True-Cut. Brenizer further falsely stated that True-Cut’s average monthly payroll was $336,400 for approximately 30 employees. In support of both loan applications, Brenizer caused to be submitted to the lender fraudulent supporting documentation, such as falsified bank statements and IRS documents.  In addition, Brenizer falsely certified that he was not subject to any pending criminal charges even though he was named in multiple felony charges pending in the State of Minnesota for such charges as check forgery, identify theft, and theft by swindle. Due to these various misrepresentations and omissions, on May 13, 2020, Brenizer’s second application was approved, and he received $841,000 in PPP funds.

According to court documents, instead of using the PPP funds for authorized business expenses, such as payroll, Brenizer transferred approximately $650,000 to a bank account unrelated to True-Cut and made a $29,000 payment to purchase a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, among other impermissible expenditures and transactions.

Brenizer pleaded guilty earlier today before U.S. District Judge Eric C. Tostrud to one count of wire fraud, one count of money laundering, and one count of aggravated identity theft. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled for a later date.

The CARES Act is a federal law enacted on March 29, 2020, designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans who are suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. One source of relief provided by the CARES Act was the authorization of up to $349 billion in forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses, through the PPP. In April 2020, Congress authorized over $300 billion in additional PPP funding.

The PPP allows qualifying small-businesses and other organizations to receive loans with a maturity of two years and an interest rate of one percent. PPP loan proceeds must be used by businesses on payroll costs, interest on mortgages, rent, and utilities. The PPP allows the interest and principal on the PPP loan to be forgiven if the business spends the loan proceeds on these expense items within a designated period of time after receiving the proceeds and uses at least a certain percentage of the PPP loan proceeds on payroll expenses.

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by IRS – Criminal Investigations, the FBI, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation – Office of Inspector General, and the Small Business Administration – Office of Inspector General.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew S. Ebert and Allison K. Ethen are prosecuting the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – A Red Lake man has pleaded guilty to possessing images depicting the sexual abuse of children, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats.

According to court documents, on March 7, 2020, following a traffic stop, Bobby Lee Donnell, Sr., 43, was arrested by the Red Lake Police Department pursuant to an open warrant. After taking Donnell into custody, officers found on Donnell’s cell phone images of child sexual abuse involving minors under the age of 12.

Donnell pleaded guilty yesterday before U.S. District Judge Wilhelmina M. Wright to one count of possession of child pornography. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled for a later date.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI Headwaters Safe Trails Task Force, the Red Lake Tribal Police Department, and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA).

Assistant U.S. Attorney Evan B. Gilead is prosecuting the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – A Minneapolis man has been sentenced to 15 months in prison for engaging in abusive sexual contact on an airplane. Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Nancy E. Brasel sentenced the defendant.

According to court documents, in April 2019, Neeraj Chopra, 41, knowingly engaged in abusive sexual contact with a 16-year-old victim who was seated next to him aboard a Jet Blue flight from Boston to Minneapolis. During the flight, Chopra retrieved a blanket from his backpack and draped it over his lap, with a portion of the blanket also covering the victim’s right leg. Chopra put his hand under the blanket and began inappropriately touching the victim. Chopra ignored the victim’s multiple requests to stop and continued to inappropriately touch the victim.

On July 14, 2021, following a three-day trial, a federal jury convicted Chopra on one count of abusive sexual contact.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport Police.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren O. Roso and Michelle E. Jones.

MINNEAPOLIS – A Minneapolis man has been sentenced to 115 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for illegally possessing a firearm and ammunition as a felon. Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Wilhelmina M. Wright sentenced the defendant.

On August 3, 2021, following a four-day trial, Johnnie Lamar Haynes, 33, was convicted of one count of possessing a firearm as a felon and one count of possessing ammunition as a felon.

According to the evidence presented at trial, on August 5, 2019, Minneapolis police officers responded to a shots-fired call at a gas station near Lowry Avenue and Logan Avenue North in Minneapolis. Upon arrival, officers found 11 discharged cartridge casings on the street in front of the gas station. Video surveillance footage showed Haynes interacting with two men inside the gas station. After leaving the gas station the two other men got in a vehicle and drove off. Minutes later, the two men circled the block in their vehicle and returned to the gas station. Haynes then began shooting at the vehicle as it drove off. A nearby business was in the line of Haynes’s gunfire and was struck by multiple rounds. Surveillance video footage from the business captured the bullets entering the building, causing employees to duck and take shelter.

This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Minneapolis Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Calhoun-Lopez prosecuted the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – An Albert Lea man has been sentenced to life plus ten years in prison for engaging in sextortion and online sexual exploitation of minors. Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Wilhelmina M. Wright sentenced the defendant.

According to court documents, in 2017, Travis Kyle Mayer, 33, downloaded and received child pornography from a Russian-based child pornography distribution website. In 2018, Mayer sexually exploited a 15-year-old girl, through persuasion and coercion, using her to produce child pornography, which he then possessed and distributed. Mayer committed these crimes while he was required to register as a sex offender, based on his prior conviction for attempted third degree criminal sexual conduct. Between June 20, 2019, and October 11, 2019, Mayer attempted to obstruct the administration of justice by requesting a witness to testify falsely regarding the child sexual exploitation investigation.

Acting United States Attorney Charles J. Kovats stated: “For years, this defendant victimized children by sexually exploiting them. Despite prior criminal convictions, Mayer continued his pattern of predatory behavior by exploiting, extorting, coercing, and threatening his minor victims. A sentence of life in prison is justified and ensures that he will never again victimize another child.”

“There is no group of people more deserving of our diligent protection than children, and no offender more deserving of strong justice than one who blatantly targets those most vulnerable to exploitation.  Whenever anyone repeatedly harms children and persists in those acts despite previous intervention, we will work hard for a severe sentence like the one levied today,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Michael Paul. “The FBI will continue to do everything thing we can to ensure those who choose to harm our children face severe consequences, and their victims receive the justice they deserve.”

On June 29, 2021, following a six-day trial, a federal jury convicted Mayer on two counts of production and attempted production of child pornography, one count of distribution of child pornography, one count of possession of child pornography, one count of receipt of child pornography, one count of coercion and enticement of a minor, one count of committing a felony offense involving a minor while required to register as a sex offender, and one count obstruction of justice.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, the Albert Lea Police Department, and the Albany (Oregon) Police Department.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexander D. Chiquoine and Joseph H. Thompson.

MINNEAPOLIS – A New York man has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for his role in an illegal pump-and-dump stock manipulation scheme. Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge David S. Doty sentenced the defendant.

According to court documents, Christopher James Rajkaran, 36, of Queens, New York, and Guyana, participated in a scheme to hijack and assume control over dormant public shell companies. Rajkaran and his co-defendants used their control over the companies to fraudulently manipulate and pump up the price of the companies' stock so that they could profit from the sale of stock at inflated prices to unwitting investors.

According to court documents, Rajkaran and his co-defendants carried out the scheme by obtaining hundreds of thousands or even millions of shares of stock in dormant public shell companies that traded over-the-counter at low prices, often for less than a fraction of a penny per share. Rajkaran and his co-defendants then assumed control over the shell companies by creating and filing fake resignation letters and board resolutions purporting to announce the resignation of the existing management team and the appointment of one or more conspirators as new officers and directors of the companies. Rajkaran and his co-defendants used their control over the hijacked shell companies to issue fraudulent press releases and filings designed to fraudulently “pump up” the price of the hijacked companies’ stock. Rajkaran and his co-defendants then “dumped” their stock by selling at the fraudulently inflated prices to reap the fraudulent obtained profits.

On October 7, 2021, Rajkaran pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud. On October 14, 2021, co-defendant Mark Allen Miller, 44, of Breezy Point, also pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud. Co-defendant Saeid Jaberian, 60, of Hopkins, has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy, securities fraud, and wire fraud charges.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the FBI. The U.S. Attorney’s Office would also like to thank the Securities and Exchange Commission for its assistance on this matter.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph H. Thompson and Miranda E. Dugi are prosecuting the case.

ST. PAUL, Minnesota – A St. Paul man has been arrested and charged for his role in a firearms straw purchasing conspiracy, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats.

According to court documents, between May 11, 2021, and October 17, 2021, Gabriel Lee Young-Duncan, 27, and a previously charged co-conspirator participated in a conspiracy to illegally purchase multiple firearms, including one that was used in the Seventh Street Truck Park Bar shooting on October 10, 2021. Young-Duncan and his co-conspirator agreed to work together to illegally acquire firearms by making false statements to Federal Firearms Licensees (FFLs) throughout the Twin Cities. Specifically, the co-conspirator would purchase the firearms, stating on the ATF Form 4473 that the co-conspirator was the actual buyer, and then transfer the firearms to Young-Duncan, who would keep the firearms, or further transfer them to third parties.

According to court documents, Young-Duncan and his co-conspirator worked together to illegally obtained dozens of firearms, including four Glock 9mm semiautomatic pistols and two Mossberg 9mm semiautomatic pistols.

Young-Duncan is charged with one count of conspiracy to make false statements in the purchases of firearms. He made his initial appearance yesterday in U.S. District Court before Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Cowan Wright.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the St. Paul Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Calhoun-Lopez is prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

ST. PAUL, Minnesota – A Cottage Grove man has been charged following a string of Twin Cities bank robberies, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats.

According to court documents, in November 2021, Michael Thomas Prall, 43, used force, violence, and intimidation to steal thousands of dollars from three separate banks. On November 30, 2021, Prall stole approximately $775 from a Wells Fargo bank in Cottage Grove. On November 19, 2021, Prall stole approximately $4,589 from a Bremer Bank in Woodbury. On November 5, 2021, Prall stole approximately $2,558 from a US Bank in Bloomington.

Prall, who is charged with three counts of bank robbery, made his initial appearance today before Magistrate Judge Hildy Bowbeer in U.S. District Court. Prall was detained pending further court proceedings.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, the Cottage Grove Police Department, the Woodbury Police Department, the Bloomington Police Department, and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Washington County Attorney’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander D. Chiquoine is prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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MINNEAPOLIS – A federal jury convicted two Minneapolis men of multiple counts of drug dealing, conspiracy to distribute drugs, and illegal possession of a firearm, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats.

Following an eleven-day trial before U.S. District Court Judge Michael J. Davis, Anthony Akemu Abari, 41, and Kevin Termell Green, 38, were convicted late Friday afternoon of multiple counts related to a fentanyl-laced heroin trafficking conspiracy. Abari was further convicted of possessing a firearm as a felon.

According to the evidence presented at trial, since 2018, Abari, Green, and others participated in a conspiracy to distribute heroin laced with fentanyl. Between late 2018 and mid-2019, the defendants regularly supplied fentanyl-laced heroin to individuals living in a large homeless encampment along Hiawatha Avenue in Minneapolis. Abari and co-defendant Relondo Devon Hall, 37, stopped there, on a daily basis at times, to distribute drugs they obtained from Green.

In January 2019, law enforcement received information that there was drug dealing going on at a Minneapolis residence. Law enforcement executed a search warrant at the residence where they found Abari with 100 grams of heroin laced with fentanyl, a gun, and two phones connecting him to drug dealing. In April 2019, law enforcement received additional information that Abari was in possession of heroin and a firearm. Upon execution of a search warrant, they found Abari in the basement where they also recovered 20 grams of heroin laced with fentanyl.

According to the evidence presented at trial, in July of 2019, upon execution of a search warrant, law enforcement seized 298 grams of heroin laced with fentanyl belonging to Green. Green had been supplying Abari and others with heroin laced with fentanyl from at least December 2018 and continuing into July 2019.

Abari was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of heroin laced with fentanyl, one count of possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of heroin laced with fentanyl, and one count of felon in possession of a firearm. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years imprisonment. Green was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and one count of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years imprisonment. Sentencing dates will be scheduled at a later time.

Abari and Green’s co-defendant Relondo Devon Hall, 37, pleaded guilty on July 30, 2020, to one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. A sentencing date has yet to be scheduled.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the Minneapolis Police Department, Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

This case was tried by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin A. Wesley and Lindsey E. Middlecamp.

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MINNEAPOLIS – A Dodge County man has pleaded guilty to impersonating a federal officer and illegally possessing firearms as a felon, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats.

According to court documents, on August 17, 2021, the FBI received a tip that Reyel Devon Simmons, 53, was pretending to be federal agent with the United States Department of Homeland Security. As part of his impersonation scheme, Simmons established a TikTok profile, using the false name “Rey Reeves,” and regularly held himself out as a federal agent on social media. Simmons, who had nearly 10,000 followers on TikTok, used a profile photo that showed him wearing law enforcement gear and made several posts displaying law enforcement equipment, badges, and firearms, and referring explicitly and implicitly to himself as a federal agent. At no time has Simmons ever been employed by the United States Department of Homeland Security.  Similarly, Simmons has never been a sworn law enforcement officer with any federal, state, or local agency, nor has he ever had the authority to act on behalf of any federal agency or department.

According to court documents, Simmons regularly carried a backpack, which he described as his “go bag.” The bag bore the departmental emblem of the Department of Homeland Security and contained a Glock handgun, fake Department of Homeland Security badge, and other items related to Simmons’s supposed service in law enforcement and the military. Law enforcement seized from Simmons’s residence eight firearms, including assault rifles and sniper rifles, which were discovered in a “safe room” or bunker that could be accessed only through a hidden doorway located in a storage area of the basement. In addition, Simmons admitted to possessing unregistered silencers/suppressors, detonating cord containing the explosive pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN), a blasting cap, thousands of rounds of ammunition, body armor with law enforcement emblems affixed to it, and other law enforcement style badges, clothing, bags, and identification documents.

Because Simmons has a prior felony conviction in Colorado, he is prohibited under federal law, from possessing firearms, ammunition, or explosives at any time.

Simmons pleaded guilty earlier today before U.S. District Judge Eric C. Tostrud to one count of impersonating an officer of the United States and one count of possessing firearms as a felon. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled for a later date.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, ATF, Dodge County Sheriff’s Department, Owatonna Police Department, Kasson Police Department, the Bloomington Police Department Bomb Squad, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander D. Chiquoine is prosecuting the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – A St. Paul man was sentenced to 138 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release for drug possession with intent to distribute, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats.

According to court documents, during the early morning hours of November 1, 2019, officers with the St. Paul Police Department initiated a traffic stop of John Sheldon Pickens, Jr.’s vehicle. Pickens, 36, initially pulled his vehicle over but then accelerated away and led police on a high-speed chase for several miles through the city of St. Paul. Officers were ultimately able to stop him on the Lafayette Bridge and take him into custody. Officers searched the vehicle and found six packages of cocaine that had a combined weight of approximately six kilograms.

Pickens was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Ann D. Montgomery. He was convicted by a federal jury on June 24, 2021, of one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the Homeland Security Investigations, the Saint Paul Police Department, and the Minnesota State Patrol.

This case was tried by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amber M. Brennan and Joseph S. Teirab.

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MINNEAPOLIS – A Red Lake man has pleaded guilty to two counts of assault resulting in serious bodily injury, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats.

According to court documents, on May 5, 2021, Brennon Allen James Sayers, 21, was arguing loudly with his girlfriend in a vehicle outside a residence in the Ponemah area of the Red Lake Indian Reservation. Victim J.L.Z., who lived across the street, came out of his residence and began telling Sayers to stop arguing and fighting with his girlfriend. Victim C.T.G., who was walking down the road, encountered the interaction between Sayers and J.L.Z. As the confrontation between Sayers and J.L.Z. escalated to yelling and assaultive threats, Sayers pulled a firearm from his waistband and began shooting at both J.L.Z. and C.T.G. as they ran back towards J.L.Z.’s house.  Both J.L.Z. and C.T.G. were struck by gunfire. After the shooting, Sayers fled the area and was located several hours later at his mother’s residence on the Red Lake Indian Reservation.

Sayers pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Court Chief Judge John R. Tunheim to two counts of assault resulting in serious bodily injury. A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for June 13, 2022.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Red Lake Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Headwaters Safe Trails Task Force.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Deidre Y. Aanstad.

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MINNEAPOLIS – A Minneapolis man has pleaded guilty to the armed robbery of two Speedway gas stations and a Super 8 Hotel, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats.

According to court documents, on February 4, 2020, Keanu Dewone Ross, 30, entered a Speedway gas station in Columbia Heights, pulled what appeared to be a firearm, and demanded cash from the register and the safe. Ross stole $140 in cash, various tobacco products, and several lottery tickets, before fleeing the scene in a waiting vehicle parked several blocks away with his co-defendant, Antoinette Deniece Mae Dobyne, 30. On February 12, 2020, Ross entered a Speedway in Fridley, pulled what appeared to be a firearm, and demanded cash from the register. Ross ordered the employee to the ground and kicked the employee in the face. Ross left the store with more than $700 in cash, tobacco products, and lottery tickets.  On three separate days in February, surveillance camera footage showed Ross and Dobyne cashing some of the stolen lottery tickets at two different gas stations.

According to court documents, on February 14, 2020, Ross and another man were driven to the area of the Super 8 Hotel in Brooklyn Center by Dobyne in her SUV.  The men entered the hotel and ordered a hotel employee to the ground at gunpoint. Ross and the other man took the employee’s cell phone and car keys, and over $550 cash from the business. The men then told the employee to run from the scene. As the employee fled on foot, he heard multiple gunshots. Officers recovered a discharged cartridge casing at the scene of the robbery. Surveillance camera footage showed the two men committing the robbery as described by the employee. The footage also showed the two men running from the hotel toward an SUV and then fleeing on foot after the SUV got stuck in a snowbank. BCPD officers located Dobyne in the SUV.  A warrant-authorized search of the SUV revealed Ross’s wallet and identification, and a black duffle bag full of various tobacco products.

According to court documents, later that same day, Ross was detained during a traffic stop by officers with the Minneapolis Police Department. Officers confiscated a Taurus Model PT738 .380-caliber semiautomatic pistol that was found on Ross’s person. Subsequent forensic ballistics analysis using the discharged cartridge casing recovered at the scene of the robbery revealed that the confiscated firearm was the same one that was fired at the Super 8 Hotel.

Ross pleaded guilty yesterday before Senior U.S. District Judge David S. Doty to three counts of aiding and abetting interference with commerce by robbery and one count of using, carrying and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. On October 25, 2021, Dobyne pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting interference with commerce by robbery. Sentencing hearings for the defendants will be scheduled at a later date.

This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, the Minneapolis Police Department, the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the Brooklyn Center Police Department, the Columbia Heights Police Department, and the Fridley Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Bejar is prosecuting the case.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A federal criminal complaint has been filed against a Florida man charging him with human smuggling, announced Acting United States Attorney Charles J. Kovats.

According to court documents, on January 19, 2022, law enforcement agents with Homeland Security Investigations responded to a request for assistance from the U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) based out of Pembina, North Dakota. USBP initiated a traffic stop on a white-colored, fifteen passenger van less than one mile south of the U.S./Canadian border in a rural area between the official ports of entry located at Lancaster, Minnesota and Pembina, North Dakota. The driver of the vehicle was identified as Steve Shand, 47, a U.S. citizen. Law enforcement asked for identification of the two passengers in the van and determined them to be undocumented Indian nationals.

According to court documents, law enforcement discovered cases of plastic cups, bottled water, bottled juice, and snacks located in the extreme rear of the passenger van. Law enforcement also discovered receipts dated January 18, 2022, for the drinks and snacks, and rental agreement receipts in Shand’s name for the van, with the return date listed for January 20, 2022. USBP arrested Shand for smuggling undocumented foreign nationals. While Shand and the two passengers were being transported to the Pembina Border Patrol Station in North Dakota, law enforcement encountered five additional Indian nationals approximately a quarter mile south of the Canadian border walking in the direction of where Shand was arrested. They appeared to be headed to an unstaffed gas plant located in St. Vincent, Minnesota. The five Indian nationals explained that they had walked across the border expecting to be picked up by someone. The group estimated they had been walking around for over 11 hours. One of the group members was in possession of a backpack that did not belong to him. He stated he was carrying the backpack for a family of four Indian nationals that had earlier walked with his group but had become separated during the night.  The backpack contained children’s clothes, a diaper, toys, and some children’s medication.

According to court documents, later during the day on January 19, 2022, USBP received a report from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police that four bodies were found frozen just inside the Canadian side of the international border. The dead bodies were tentatively identified as the family of four that was separated. Two of the surviving Indian nationals sustained serious injuries and were transported to a hospital.

Shand is charged with one count of knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that an alien had come to, entered, or remained in the United States in violation of law, having transported, and moved or having attempted to transport and move such aliens. He made his first appearance today before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Hildy Bowbeer. Shand was ordered to remain in custody pending a preliminary and detention hearing, currently scheduled for January 24, 2022, at 3:00 p.m. before Magistrate Judge Bowbeer. 

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Provinzino is prosecuting the case.

A complaint is merely an allegation and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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MINNEAPOLIS – A Canadian national pleaded guilty to abusive sexual contact with two minors at the Fortune Bay Resort and Casino on the Bois Forte Indian Reservation, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats.

According to court documents, on June 22, 2018, Brady John Hillis, 32, a citizen of Canada, was at the Fortune Bay Resort and Casino on the Bois Forte Indian Reservation. Hillis was captured on Fortune Bay’s security surveillance video engaging in sexual contact with two minor victims who were under 12 years of age.

Hillis pleaded guilty yesterday before Chief U.S. District Judge John R. Tunheim to two counts of abusive sexual contact with a child under 12 years of age. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled for a later date.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI and the Bois Forte Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Deidre Y. Aanstad is prosecuting the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – A St. Cloud man was sentenced to 24 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for possessing two drop-in auto sears, which are devices that convert semi-automatic firearm into fully automatic firearms. Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Michael J. Davis sentenced the defendant.

According to court documents, in November 2020, the FBI initiated an investigation into Michael Paul Dahlager, 28, a self-proclaimed member of the “Boogaloo Bois,” a loosely connected group of individuals who espouse violent anti-government sentiments. The term “Boogaloo” itself references an impending second civil war in the United States and is associated with violent uprisings against the government. In November 2020, the FBI learned through a confidential human source (“CHS”) that Dahlager was in possession of a 3D-printed “drop in auto sear” and a homemade firearm suppressor. An “auto sear” is a part designed and intended for use in converting a semi-automatic weapon to shoot automatically by a single pull of the trigger and is a machine gun under federal law.

According to court documents, on February 3, 2021, Dahlager delivered two auto sears to the CHS and he demonstrated how the devices should be inserted into a firearm. At the time of his arrest in April 2021, law enforcement recovered six additional auto sears and a silencer from Dahlager’s vehicle and home.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew R. Winter, and Trial Attorneys George Kraehe and Phil Viti of the National Security Division's Counterterrorism Section.

MINNEAPOLIS – An Owatonna man was sentenced to 31 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for possessing an unregistered firearm. Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Nancy E. Brasel sentenced the defendant.

According to court documents, the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office received information that Dayton Charles Sauke, 23, was selling narcotics and manufacturing and dealing firearms without a license. Sauke used his Snapchat account to advertise privately made firearms, or “ghost guns,” which he described as “untraceable” and “throwaway murder pieces.” Sauke also posted pictures of a short-barreled shotgun and made several threatening posts about killing law enforcement and politicians.

According to court documents, on January 15, 2021, two undercover agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) met with Sauke and purchased from him a privately made firearm. During the meeting, Sauke had a short-barreled shotgun with him and showed it to the undercover agents. The short-barreled shotgun was later recovered by law enforcement officials and examined by an ATF expert, who determined it was an operable 12-gauge shotgun with a barrel length of approximately 11 inches and a total overall length of 18 inches. Federal law requires shotguns with reduced barrels and overall lengths (often referred to as “sawed-off” or “short-barreled” shotguns) to be registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record. The shotgun was not registered to Sauke.

“Sauke’s actions and statements leading up to his arrest were very concerning, which is why law enforcement quickly intervened,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge William J. McCrary, of the St. Paul Field Division. “We are thankful for the investigative work of the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office, South Central Drug Investigations Unit, Cannon River Drug Task Force, and our federal partners at the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, FBI, and U.S. Attorney’s Office. I’m especially proud of our ATF agents who quickly responded to this matter, and whose prompt actions helped to interrupt Sauke’s potential plans for violence. This collaborative work readily demonstrates, at all levels, law enforcement’s on-going commitment to public safety.”

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the ATF, FBI, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office, the South Central Drug Investigations Unit, and the Cannon River Drug Task Force.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin A. Wesley is prosecuting the case.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Rochester man was sentenced to 120 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for the arson of a Minneapolis pawn shop that resulted in the death of a man. Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Wilhelmina M. Wright sentenced the defendant.

According to court documents, on May 28, 2020, Montez Terriel Lee, 26, along with others, broke into the Max It Pawn Shop on East Lake Street in Minneapolis. Surveillance video footage showed Lee pouring a fire accelerant around the pawn shop and lighting the accelerant on fire. The fire destroyed the building. A second video showed Lee standing in front of the burning pawn shop and Lee could be heard saying, “[expletive] this place. We’re gonna burn this [expletive] down.”

According to court documents, on July 20, 2020, authorities located the body of a 30 year old man, O.S., in the rubble of the burned Max It Pawn building. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office attributed O.S.’s death to “probable inhalation of products of combustion and thermal injury (building fire).”

This case was the result of an investigation conducted jointly by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the FBI, the Minneapolis Police Department, the Rochester Police Department, and the Minnesota State Fire Marshal Division.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Calhoun-Lopez.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Red Lake man was sentenced to 120 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for illegally possessing with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl and possessing a firearm as a felon. Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Paul A. Magnuson sentenced the defendant.

According to court documents, on November 21, 2020, Joshua Jon Lussier, 34, was arrested in Hubbard County, Minnesota, pursuant to a federal arrest warrant. In Lussier’s vehicle, law enforcement observed in plain sight a glass smoking device commonly used for methamphetamine and approximately ten grams of methamphetamine. A subsequent search of the vehicle revealed 893 grams of methamphetamine, 83 grams of fentanyl, and drug distribution paraphernalia, including common cutting agents used to increase the total weight of controlled substances. Lussier admitted that the drugs in his vehicle belonged to him and were intended for distribution.

In April 2019, Lussier was found in possession of a Remington .243 caliber, Model 770 rifle. Because he has a prior felony conviction in Pennington County, Lussier is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time.

On September 19, 2021, Lussier pleaded guilty to one count of possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, and one count of illegally possession of a firearm as a felon.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the Red Lake Department of Public Safety and the FBI Paul Bunyan Drug Task Force.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Evan B. Gilead prosecuted the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – A Minneapolis woman was sentenced to 100 months in prison, followed by two years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $13,323.53 in restitution, for her role in a string of violent carjackings throughout the Twin Cities. Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Patrick J. Schiltz sentenced the defendant.

“The staggering increase in carjackings throughout the Twin Cities metro has not gone unnoticed by federal law enforcement,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats. “In partnership with local and federal law enforcement, we will not hesitate to prosecute individuals who perpetrate this type of violence in our communities. Today’s sentence highlights the seriousness of these crimes and the significant penalties facing those who commit them.”

“The recent spike in carjackings has spread a sense of terror and fear across our communities, and we are pleased that this sentence sends a strong message of deterrence to those seeking to victimize our neighbors,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Michael Paul. “The FBI is committed to doing all we can to work with our partners to stop this menace and bring back a sense of peace and calm throughout our metropolitan neighborhoods.”

According to court documents, on August 28, 2020, Krisanne Marie Benjamin, 25, and her co-defendant Jeremiah Lee Ironrope, 25, drove a maroon SUV to a parking lot in Richfield, where they parked near a 2017 Audi. Ironrope approached the driver of the Audi and pointed a Remington 870 l2-gauge shotgun, with a sawed-off barrel, at the driver and demanded the car keys. Benjamin kept watch from the maroon SUV as Ironrope started the Audi and drove away. Benjamin followed in the maroon SUV.

According to court documents, in the early morning hours of August 29, 2020, the Minnesota State Patrol used GPS data to track and locate the stolen Audi, which was driven by Ironrope and occupied by Benjamin. Officers attempted to stop the vehicle, but Ironrope drove away at a high rate of speed, while cutting across multiple lanes of traffic, swerving between cars, and driving through red lights. During the flight from law enforcement, Benjamin got out of the vehicle and fled on foot while Ironrope continued fleeing in the Audi. Law enforcement found the vehicle running and unoccupied in Minneapolis. The vehicle had been partially spray-painted black. Inside officers found a stolen wallet, bottles of spray paint, a hat, gloves, and receipts. Law enforcement also found a used l2-gauge shotgun shell under the driver's seat.

On September 7, 2021, Benjamin pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting carjacking. On September 9, 2021, Co-defendant Ironrope pleaded guilty to one count of carjacking and one count of using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. He is scheduled to be sentenced on April 7, 2022 by U.S. District Court Judge Patrick J. Schiltz.

As part of their guilty pleas, Ironrope and Benjamin admitted to two additional carjackings that occurred on July 26, 2020, in Maple Grove and August 7, 2020, in St. Paul. In both instances, the defendants physically assaulted the victims before stealing their vehicles. Ironrope also admitted to two December 2020 carjackings occurring in St. Louis Park and St. Paul. In both instances, Ironrope pointed a handgun at the victims before stealing their vehicles.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, the Minneapolis Police Department, the St. Paul Police Department, the Maple Grove Police Department, the Richfield Police Department, the Edina Police Department, the Roseville Police Department, and the Minnesota State Patrol.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathan H. Nelson.

MINNEAPOLIS – A Plymouth man was sentenced to 228 months in prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release for advertising, producing, and distributing material depicting the sexual abuse of children. Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Nancy E. Brasel sentenced the defendant.

According to court documents, between November 2019 and March 2021, Derek Gerard Williams, 23, used various online accounts and aliases to advertise, produce, distribute, and obtain child pornography and other data related to the sexual exploitation of children. Williams used Instagram and other online platforms to communicate with and exploit minors in the United States and abroad. Williams also used a virtual private network (VPN) or proxy services and coded language referring to child exploitation and bestiality, to attempt to avoid detection by law enforcement.

On August 16, 2021, Williams pleaded guilty to one count of advertising child pornography, one count of production of child pornography, and one count of distribution of child pornography.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Miranda E. Dugi.

MINNEAPOLIS – A Brooklyn Park man was sentenced to 27 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release and $33,826.64 in restitution for his role in the arson of the Great Health and Nutrition store in St. Paul. Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Nancy E. Brasel sentenced the defendant.

According to court documents, on May 28, 2020, Samuel Elliott Frey, 20, and co-defendant McKenzy Ann DeGidio Dunn, 21, joined other individuals who had gathered near the Great Health and Nutrition store located at 1360 University Avenue West, in St. Paul. Frey and others arrived together to the Midway area near University Avenue and walked through multiple businesses before they arrived inside the Great Health and Nutrition retail store. While inside the store, Frey poured a bottle of hand sanitizer onto a shelving unit located on the floor. Frey then lit paper on fire and placed the flaming paper where he had poured the hand sanitizer. Frey poured on more hand sanitizer to accelerate the fire.  The Great Health and Nutrition store sustained fire damage because of Frey’s conduct.

Dunn pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit arson and, on May 10, 2021, was sentenced to three years of probation and $31,578 in restitution. On July 20, 2021, Frey pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit arson.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted jointly by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the St. Paul Police Department, the St. Paul Fire Department, Brooklyn Park Police Department, the Minnesota State Fire Marshal Division, and the FBI.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Ebert and Joseph Teirab.

MINNEAPOLIS – Two defendants have pleaded guilty to making false statements in connection with the illegal purchase of multiple firearms, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats.

According to their guilty pleas, between May 2020 and May 2021, Sarah Jean Elwood, 34, and Jeffrey Paul Jackson, 31, conspired together and with others to buy dozens of firearms from various Federal Firearms Licensees (FFL) in the State of Minnesota. As part of the straw-purchasing scheme, Elwood and others would go to various FFLs, and she would purchase the firearms on behalf of others who requested the firearms in advance of the purchases. In making the purchases, Elwood knowingly misrepresented to the dealers that she was the actual purchaser of the firearms, when in fact she and her co-defendants knew she was not. Jackson helped arrange the deals with his co-defendants and others, which included a $100 premium for each straw-purchased gun, and obtained cash or other items of value upfront for the firearms. In total, the defendants straw purchased approximately 97 firearms, including approximately 62 firearms in May 2021 alone. To date, approximately 17 firearms have been recovered by local law enforcement at various crime scenes and/or in the possession of persons legally prohibited from possessing firearms.

During recent court hearings, Elwood and Jackson each admitted to their roles in the conspiracy and pleaded guilty before United States District Court Judge Ann D. Montgomery to one count each of aiding and abetting false statements in connection with the purchase of firearms. Co-conspirator Geryiell Lamont Walker, 22, has pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy and making false statements in connection with the purchase of firearms.

Straw purchasing typically involves a buyer who can lawfully purchase firearms from an FFL but who then provides them to another person who is legally prohibited from purchasing or possessing firearms, therefore allowing the prohibited person to illegally obtain firearms and avoid the national background check system.

This case was made possible by investigative leads generated from the ATF’s National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN). NIBIN is the only national network that allows for the capture and comparison of ballistic evidence to aid in solving and preventing violent crimes involving firearms. NIBIN is a proven investigative and intelligence tool that can link firearms from multiple crime scenes, allowing law enforcement to quickly disrupt shooting cycles. For more information on NIBIN, visit https://www.atf.gov/firearms/national-integrated-ballistic-information-network-nibin.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the ATF and the Blaine Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Bejar is prosecuting the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – A St. Paul man was sentenced to 100 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release for burning, looting, and damaging stores and businesses in downtown Minneapolis on August 26, 2020. Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Patrick J. Schiltz sentenced the defendant.

According to the evidence presented at trial, on the evening of August 26, 2020, Victor Devon Edwards, 32, drove to downtown Minneapolis following a city-wide curfew to join a large crowd that had gathered following false rumors regarding police involvement in the death of a man on Nicollet Mall earlier that evening. Over the course of approximately three hours, Edwards engaged in acts of riot, arson, and other property damage and destruction in downtown Minneapolis. Edwards was captured on video surveillance participating in the rioting and looting at Saks Off Fifth and entering other closed stores and businesses that evening, including Caribou Coffee, Target Headquarters, and Brit’s Pub on Nicollet Mall. Edwards was captured on video surveillance helping to break into the Target Headquarters building and adding fuel to a fire set inside the building, which ultimately caused almost a million dollars in damages to Target. Edwards was then captured on video surveillance entering the nearby Brit’s Pub, which, shortly after he went in, became engulfed in flames.

During and after his criminal activity downtown that evening, Edwards bragged about his participation in the rioting and looting. Edwards also took orders from friends for items to loot. The next morning, Edwards took a video of himself flashing a large amount of cash and saying, “On the looting side. . .” He also admitted that he got “MK purses and money” in text messages with his friends.

On August 12, 2021, Edwards was convicted by a federal jury of one count of riot and one count of arson.

This case is the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the FBI, the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, the Minneapolis Fire Department, and the Minneapolis, Bloomington, and Richfield Police Departments.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nathan H. Nelson and Chelsea A. Walcker.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – An Isanti County man has been sentenced to 288 months in prison followed by 25 years of supervised release for producing child pornography.

According to court documents, Russell James Anderson-Baldwin, 39, used Instagram, Snapchat, and other online messaging apps to communicate with a minor victim. Between December 2019 and August 2020, Anderson-Baldwin coerced the minor to create sexually explicit videos. In total, Anderson-Baldwin created approximately 286 sexually explicit videos of the minor. Investigators also found on Anderson-Baldwin’s phone approximately 140 sexually explicit images and videos of other minor victims.

On January 16, 2020, Anderson-Baldwin was convicted in Isanti County of three counts of possession of child pornography. As a result of those convictions, he was required to register as a sex offender and was on probation when he committed the production offense. Anderson-Baldwin pleaded guilty in federal court on June 22, 2021, to one count of production of child pornography.

Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Donovan W. Frank sentenced the defendant.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Evan B. Gilead.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Two men have been sentenced for illegal possession of firearms, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats.

Jarvae Josiah Somerville, 28, of White Bear Lake, and Ronald Donte Finley, Jr., 26, of Minneapolis, were both convicted on August 26, 2021, of one count each of illegal possession of a firearm, following a three-day jury trial before U.S. District Judge Paul A. Magnuson. The defendants were sentenced yesterday to 96 months and 78 months in prison, respectively. Both men were sentenced to three years of supervised release that will begin upon their release from prison.

“The staggering spike in gun violence throughout the Twin Cities must end,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office remains steadfast in our commitment to hold accountable individuals who put public safety at risk.”

According to court documents, Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) officers investigating a shooting followed Somerville and Finley to a restaurant on Lake Street in Minneapolis. While Somerville was inside the restaurant and Finley was outside in an Infinity sedan that the men were driving, officers moved in to make an arrest. When officers approached Finley, Finley ran from the Infinity sedan but was apprehended and arrested. Inside the Infiniti sedan, officers found a Sig Sauer 9mm semi-automatic pistol with an extended magazine. When officers entered the restaurant and attempted to arrest Somerville, Somerville ran inside a private bathroom in the back of the restaurant. Two officers chasing Somerville followed Somerville inside, and Somerville reached into his waistband. Concerned that Somerville was reaching for a firearm, an officer grabbed Somerville’s hands, and the three men struggled until other officers arrived to assist. After Somerville was handcuffed and taken into custody, officers recovered from the floor of the bathroom a Glock, .45 caliber semi-automatic handgun with an extended magazine.

After the arrests, officers executed a search warrant at Somerville’s residence and found a box of .45 caliber ammunition the same model of which was found in the firearm found in the bathroom.  Officers also found a gun cleaning kit. Investigators later confirmed that Finley’s fingerprints were present on the magazine of the 9mm pistol found in the Infiniti sedan.

Because Somerville has prior felony convictions in Hennepin County and Finley has prior felony convictions in Cook County, Illinois, they are prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Minneapolis Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Calhoun-Lopez prosecuted the case.

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St. Paul, Minn. – Two Minneapolis felons were sentenced today for possessing a handgun with a large capacity magazine that could hold 50 rounds of ammunition, announced Acting United States Attorney Charles J. Kovats.

According to court records, between April 30 and May 5, 2020, Travon Lavelle Blackman, 24, and Michael Eugene Hunter, 23, were in joint possession of a Glock, model 22, .40-caliber semiautomatic pistol, with an attached 50-round drum magazine.  Both men videotaped themselves and posted several of the recordings on social media of their brandishing the firearm (as well as other firearms) while making threatening gestures and statements. Because Blackman and Hunter both have prior felony convictions, they are prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time.

U.S. District Court Judge Wilhelmina M. Wright sentenced Blackman to 70 months in prison and Hunter to 82 months in prison. Both men were sentenced to three years of supervised release that will begin upon their release from prison.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Minneapolis Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Bejar prosecuted the case.

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MINNEAPOLIS – A Minneapolis man was sentenced to 60 months followed by four years of supervised release for conspiring to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats.

According to court documents, on June 1, 2019, officers with the Minneapolis Police Department seized 351 counterfeit prescription pills containing fentanyl from Fowzi Abdinasir Elmi, 20. On January 21, 2020, Elmi and two other individuals drove to Arizona with the intent of buying fentanyl pills and then returning to Minnesota to distribute them. Elmi successfully purchased the pills but was stopped by law enforcement in Oklahoma. Approximately 2,100 counterfeit prescription fentanyl pills were seized from Elmi. On September 15, 2020, Elmi, along with two other individuals, got into a single vehicle car crash. When Minneapolis police officers arrived, they found Elmi in possession of 170 counterfeit prescription fentanyl pills. Elmi admitted to purchasing the pills for $15 per pill and selling them for $30-$35 per pill.

Elmi was sentenced today by Senior U.S. District Judge Ann D. Montgomery.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Minneapolis Police Department, and the State of Oklahoma District One Narcotics Task Force.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys David P. Steinkamp and Justin A. Wesley prosecuted the case.

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St. Paul, Minn. – The Justice Department announced today that Derek Chauvin, 45, pleaded guilty in federal court to two violations of a federal civil rights statute.

First, defendant Chauvin pleaded guilty to willfully depriving, while acting under color of law, George Floyd of his constitutional rights, resulting in Mr. Floyd’s bodily injury and death. Defendant Chauvin also agreed that the appropriate sentencing base offense level for this crime is second-degree murder because he used unreasonable and excessive force that resulted in Mr. Floyd’s death, and he acted willfully and in callous and wanton disregard of the consequences to Mr. Floyd’s life.

Second, defendant Chauvin pleaded guilty to willfully depriving, while acting under color of law, a then 14-year-old juvenile of his constitutional rights, resulting in the juvenile’s bodily injury.

“Defendant Chauvin has pleaded guilty to two federal civil rights violations, one of which led to the tragic loss of George Floyd’s life,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “While recognizing that nothing can repair the harm caused by such acts, the Justice Department is committed to holding accountable those who violate the Constitution, and to safeguarding the civil rights of all Americans.”

In the plea agreement, defendant Chauvin admitted that on May 25, 2020, he willfully violated Mr. Floyd’s constitutional right to be free from an officer’s use of unreasonable force. Specifically, defendant Chauvin admitted that he held his left knee across Mr. Floyd’s neck, back and shoulder and his right knee on Mr. Floyd’s back and arm. The plea agreement states that Mr. Floyd remained restrained, prone and handcuffed on the ground for approximately 10 minutes. Defendant Chauvin further admitted that he continued to use force even though he was aware that Mr. Floyd had stopped resisting, talking and moving, and even though he was aware that Mr. Floyd had lost consciousness and a pulse. Defendant Chauvin admitted that Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) policy and training requires officers to stop using force when a subject is not resisting and to move an arrestee from the prone position into a side recovery or seated position because the prone position may make it more difficult to breathe. Defendant Chauvin admitted that his willful use of unreasonable force resulted in Mr. Floyd’s bodily injury and death because his actions impaired Mr. Floyd’s ability to obtain and maintain sufficient oxygen to sustain Mr. Floyd’s life.  

In the plea agreement, defendant Chauvin also admitted that he willfully violated Mr. Floyd’s constitutional right not to be deprived of liberty without due process of law, which includes an arrestee’s right to be free from a police officer’s deliberate indifference to his serious medical needs. Specifically, defendant Chauvin admitted that he failed to render medical aid to Mr. Floyd, although he saw that Mr. Floyd was lying on the ground, in serious medical need, and although he was aware that MPD policy required him to provide emergency medical aid, including CPR, to an arrestee who needs it. Defendant Chauvin admitted that his failure to render medical aid resulted in Mr. Floyd’s bodily injury and death.

Additionally, according to the plea agreement, defendant Chauvin admitted that on Sept. 4, 2017, he willfully violated a then 14-year-old juvenile’s constitutional right to be free from an officer’s use of unreasonable force. Specifically, defendant Chauvin admitted that he held the juvenile by the throat and struck the juvenile multiple times in the head with a flashlight, resulting in the juvenile’s bodily injury. In the plea agreement, defendant Chauvin also admitted that he held his knee on the juvenile’s neck, shoulders and upper back for between 15 and 16 minutes, even though the juvenile was face-down on the floor, handcuffed and not resisting. Defendant Chauvin admitted that these actions resulted in the juvenile’s bodily injury.

Defendant Chauvin pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Court Senior Judge Paul A. Magnuson. Defendant Chauvin will be sentenced at a hearing to be scheduled at a later date. According to the plea agreement, defendant Chauvin faces a sentence of between 20- and 25-years imprisonment. Under the terms of the plea agreement, defendant Chauvin will serve his sentence in federal custody and will not be eligible to work in any law enforcement capacity following his release.

This case was investigated by the FBI and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and is being prosecuted by Special Litigation Counsel Samantha Trepel and Trial Attorney Tara Allison of the Civil Rights Division, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Samantha Bates, LeeAnn Bell, W. Anders Folk, Evan Gilead, Manda Sertich and Allen Slaughter of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota.  

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MINNEAPOLIS – A St. Paul man was sentenced to 60 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release for illegally possessing a firearm as a felon, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats.

According to court documents, on February 5, 2019, officers with the St. Paul Police Department observed Michael Antonio Miller, 38, and his girlfriend leave a residence and drive away together in a vehicle. At the time, there was an active Domestic Abuse No Contact Order in place between Miller and his girlfriend. The officers initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle. As officers approached the driver’s side of the vehicle where the girlfriend was seated, she opened the center console and moved some papers out of the way to reveal a loaded Smith and Wesson, .40 caliber pistol. In an interview following his arrest, Miller admitted that the firearm was his. Because of his prior felony convictions in Ransey and Hennepin Counties, Miller is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition at any time.

Miller was sentenced today by Senior U.S. District Judge Michael J. Davis, Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats made the announcement after he was sentenced.

This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

This case is the result of investigations conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the St. Paul Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Samantha H. Bates and Ruth S. Shnider prosecuted the case.

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ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Minneapolis man was sentenced today to 60 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for cyberstalking, announced Acting United States Attorney Charles J. Kovats.

According to court documents, from 2014 through 2021, Jeffrey Colin Purdy, 30 harassed, intimidated, and threatened Victim A after she declined his romantic advances and asked him to stop contacting her. Specifically, on September 15, 2017, the Mankato Department of Public Safety received a complaint from an individual stating that she had been receiving harassing emails from Purdy, a former classmate from Minnesota State University, Mankato (“Mankato State”). While attending Mankato State, the victim declined repeated romantic advances from Purdy and eventually blocked Purdy from her cellular telephone and social media accounts. From August 30, 2017, through February 21, 2020, Purdy used Mankato State’s Silent Witness Report, an anonymous incident reporting tool, to make frequent and violent threats against the victim. An IP address used to make one of the Silent Witness Reports was traced back to Purdy.

Purdy pleaded guilty on August 24, 2020, to one count of cyberstalking. He was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Susan Richard Nelson.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI and the Mankato Department of Public Safety, with assistance from the Blue Earth County Attorney’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily A. Polachek prosecuted the case.

 

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Minneapolis – A Canadian man was sentenced to 68 months in prison for aiding and abetting unlawful possession of firearms, announced Acting United States Attorney Charles J. Kovats.

According to court documents, on January 10, 2021, Muzamil Aden Addow, 30, and co-defendant Dayne Adrian Sitladeen, 29, were stopped by a Minnesota State Patrol Trooper near Fergus Falls, Minnesota. The defendants were traveling between 95-100 miles per hour in a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck with Texas license plates. When the Trooper approached the vehicle, Muzamil Aden Addow, the driver, provided an Ontario, Canada, driver’s license with a false name.

According to court documents, after detecting the odor of marijuana in the vehicle and receiving suspicious and inconsistent statements from Addow and Sitladeen, the Trooper searched the vehicle. As a result of the search, law enforcement officers recovered a total of 67 firearms and numerous pistol magazines, including 15 high-capacity pistol magazines, from four bags in the truck—one pistol magazine was partially loaded with live ammunition rounds.

Addow, who pleaded guilty on July 27, 2021, to one count of aiding and abetting firearm possession by aliens unlawfully in the United States, was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Nancy E. Brasel. On December 8, 2021, his co-defendant Dayne Adrian Sitladeen was sentenced to 78 months in prison.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Minnesota State Patrol.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Samantha Bates.

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MINNEAPOLIS – Two women have been arrested and charged with one count of second-degree murder, one count of assault with a dangerous weapon, and one count of assault resulting in serious bodily injury, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Charles Kovats.

According to court documents, on August 12, 2019, Alexia Gah Gi Gay Mary Cutbank, 20, and Mia Faye Sumner, 20, while aided and abetted by others, murdered victim “D.A.J.” Additionally, Cutbank and Sumner shot and injured victim “T.B.S.”

Cutbank and Sumner both made their initial appearances today before Magistrate Judge Katherine M. Menendez. Cutbank and Sumner were ordered detained pending a formal detention hearing scheduled for 10:00 am on December 15, 2021.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Red Lake Tribal Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the FBI Headwaters Safe Trails Task Force, the Duluth Police Department, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA), and the Minnesota Department of Corrections, in collaboration with the United States Attorney’s Office Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Initiative.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Deidre Y. Aanstad is prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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St. Paul, Minn. – A Minneapolis man pleaded guilty today to a Hobbs Act robbery that resulted in the shooting death of a store clerk, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats.

According to court documents, on April 27, 2021, Marlow Ramsey Carson, 30, robbed Blue Sky Wireless and West Bend Furniture located in Minneapolis. During the robbery the defendant stuck a handgun under a barrier on the counter and demanded money from the store clerk. Carson shot the store clerk in the chest before running out of the store and entering the passenger side of his vehicle, which quickly sped away. The store clerk was transported by ambulance to the emergency room where he was later pronounced dead.

Carson plead guilty today before U.S. District Court Judge Donovan W. Frank to one count of interference with commerce by robbery and one count of possession of ammunition as a felon. Carson has prior felony convictions and is therefore prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time. Sentencing will be scheduled at a later time.  

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Minneapolis Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Harry M. Jacobs and Samantha H. Bates are prosecuting the case.

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St. Paul – The Department of Justice announced today that it has awarded more than $17.5 million in grants to support the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program. Funding will support efforts across the country to address violent crime, including the gun violence that is often at its core. The Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s Office of Justice Programs was awarded $233,742 to continue to administer PSN grant funds in Minnesota.

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), part of the department’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP), will administer the 88 grant awards, which are being made to designated fiscal agents to support local PSN projects that work in partnership with U.S. Attorneys’ Offices.

“This latest Project Safe Neighborhoods grant is critical to addressing the violent crime threatening cities and towns all across our country,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. “Ensuring the safety of all Americans is the highest priority for the Department of Justice, but when it comes to violent crime, there is not a one-size-fits-all solution. We have to work closely with local public safety agencies as well as community organizations to craft individual strategies unique to each community’s needs. Programs like Project Safe Neighborhoods and the funding it provides allow us to do just that.”

“Communities throughout the state have been plagued by increasing levels of gun violence, particularly among teenagers and young adults. Reducing it requires a collaborative approach between law enforcement and the people we serve,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Charles Kovats. “Project Safe Neighborhood funds in the District of Minnesota will be invested in community-based efforts to address local violent crime issues throughout the state, with a special emphasis on programs aimed at providing at-risk youth and young adults with the supports and assistance necessary to prevent them from becoming involved in - or victimized by - violent crime.”

Grant funds will support violence prevention and reduction strategies that are rooted in addressing the needs of communities throughout the Twin Cities metro and in Indian Country. With approval from BJA, the Department of Public Safety’s Office of Justice Programs will begin the process of making subawards for PSN grant projects.

“Investing in our communities, supporting victims and building a justice system that both keeps people safe and earns their trust – these are mutually reinforcing goals that stand at the heart of Project Safe Neighborhoods,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Amy L. Solomon for OJP. “The Office of Justice Programs is pleased to join with our U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, and with jurisdictions across the country, as we work together to meet the challenges of crime and violence and achieve our shared aspirations of public safety and community trust.”

In May 2021, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland announced a new effort to reduce violent crime, including the gun violence that is often at its core. Integral to that effort was the reinvigoration of PSN, a two-decade old evidence-based and community-oriented program focused on reducing violent crime. The updated PSN approach, outlined in the department’s Comprehensive Strategy for Reducing Violent Crime issued by Deputy Attorney General Monaco, is guided by four key principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities and measuring the results of our efforts. The fundamental goal is to reduce violent crime, not simply to increase the number of arrests or prosecutions.

This fall, U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the country have enhanced their violent crime reduction efforts to ensure alignment with the department’s comprehensive violent crime reduction strategy. U.S. Attorneys’ Offices have engaged in outreach to law enforcement and other agencies and organizations serving communities to identify the most significant drivers of violence in their districts. Working together with a broad coalition of stakeholders, the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices are addressing the most pressing violent crime issues in their district to make our neighborhoods safer for all.

PSN Programs are led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices in collaboration with local public safety agencies, community stakeholders and other agencies and organizations that work to reduce violent crime. 

For a list of all grantees, please visit: FY21-Project-Safe-Neighborhoods-Awards.pdf (ojp.gov)

The Office of Justice Programs provides federal leadership, grants, training, technical assistance and other resources to improve the nation’s capacity to prevent and reduce crime, advance racial equity in the administration of justice, assist victims and enhance the rule of law. More information about OJP and its components can be found at  www.ojp.gov.

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ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Rochester man was sentenced to 180 months in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release for distribution of methamphetamine, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats.

According to court documents, from February 2020, through March 2020, Tyler Benjamin Batson, 36, was a part of a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in Rochester and surrounding southeastern Minnesotan communities. On March 4, 2020, a Minnesota State Trooper stopped Batson and his passenger who were traveling in a rented vehicle back to Rochester. Batson was returning from the Twin Cities area after meeting with his source of methamphetamine supply. After a canine sniff of the vehicle, officers found a small black bag on the rear passenger side floorboard. Inside the bag, the State Trooper recovered approximately two pounds of methamphetamine. Agents arrested both Batson and his passenger. On September 18, 2020, Batson pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Baston was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Donovan W. Frank

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the Minnesota State Patrol, the Rochester Police Department, the Southeast Drug and Violent Crime Task Force, and the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Allen A. Slaughter Jr.

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ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Canadian man was sentenced to 78 months for possessing a firearm as an alien unlawfully in the United States, announced Acting United States Attorney Charles J. Kovats.

According to court documents, on January 10, 2021, Dayne Adrian Sitladeen, 29, and co-defendant Muzamil Aden Addow, 29, were stopped by a Minnesota State Patrol Trooper near Fergus Falls, Minnesota. The defendants were traveling between 95-100 miles per hour in a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck with Texas license plates. When the Trooper approached the vehicle, Muzamil Aden Addow, the driver, provided an Ontario, Canada, driver’s license with a false name.

According to court documents, after detecting the odor of marijuana in the vehicle and receiving suspicious and inconsistent statements from Sitladeen, the Trooper searched the vehicle. As a result of the search, law enforcement officers recovered a total of 67 firearms and numerous magazines, including 15 high-capacity magazines, from four bags in the truck—one magazine was partially loaded with live ammunition rounds. Law enforcement later discovered a provisional federal arrest warrant from the United States Marshals Service for Sitladeen, which was based on a 2019 Canadian arrest warrant for first degree homicide, fentanyl distribution, and possession of proceeds of crime.

Sitladeen, who pleaded guilty on June 23, 2021 to one count of aiding and abetting firearm possession by aliens unlawfully in the United States, was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Nancy E. Brasel.

Co-defendant, Muzamil Aden Addow, is scheduled to be sentenced on December 14, 2021 at 10:00 am.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Minnesota State Patrol.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Samantha Bates.

 

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