St. Paul Felon Sentenced For Possessing A .40-caliber Pistol

MINNEAPOLIS—Earlier today in federal court in St. Paul, a 37-year-old St. Paul felon was sentenced for possessing a .40-caliber pistol. United States District Court Judge Richard H. Kyle sentenced Wendell Terrell Brown to 180 months in prison on one count of being an armed career criminal in possession of a firearm. Brown was indicted on June 18, 2012, and pleaded guilty on October 12, 2012.

In his plea agreement, Brown admitted that on May 5, 2012, he possessed the pistol while riding as a passenger in a vehicle stopped by authorities in St. Paul. Because he is a felon, Brown is prohibited under federal law from possessing a firearm at any time. Brown’s prior convictions include possession of a short-barreled shotgun (Ramsey County, 1998) and felon in possession of a firearm (Ramsey County, 2002). In addition, Brown was convicted in Hennepin County for terroristic threats (1998), Washington County for fourth-degree sale of a controlled substance (2010), and in St. Croix County, Wisconsin, for possession with intent to distribute marijuana (2010).

Since at least three of Brown’s past felony convictions were for crimes of violence or serious drug crimes, his sentence in the federal current case was subject to the Armed Career Criminal Act, which mandates a minimum of 15 years in federal prison. Because the federal criminal system does not have parole, he will serve virtually his entire prison sentence behind bars.

This case was the result of an investigation by the St. Paul Police Department and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey S. Paulsen.