Recent content from Stephen Montemayor
How the Kingsmen keep Minnesota's formerly incarcerated out of federal prison and thriving
Federal judges and defenders alike credit the nonprofit mentor program with helping reduce the number of people who reoffend.
Former Medtronic consultant sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for insider trading
A federal jury convicted Doron Tavlin, 69, of Minneapolis, in February for crimes related to a 2018 deal.
11 alleged Minneapolis Lows gang members indicted on racketeering charges that include 5 homicides
"The murders and shootings alleged in this indictment should shock the conscience of every law-abiding citizen in the city," U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger said.
'Minimal' participant in Feeding Our Future fraud pleads guilty, will likely avoid jail
Farhiya Ahmed Mohamud, 65, of Bloomington, was charged alongside her son, the ex-chair of the Minneapolis Housing Authority board.
In first Feeding Our Future sentencing, judge admonishes man who 'decided not to be a helper ... but a thief'
Mohamed Jama Ismail, 51, of Savage, was among multiple people convicted after a seven-week trial and linked to $42 million in fraud proceeds.
3 accused members of Minneapolis Bloods street gang found guilty of racketeering, firearms charges
The verdict capped a weekslong trial that featured testimony from fellow gang members turned government cooperatives.
As Derrick Thompson stands trial on gun, drug charges, jury watches video of crash that killed 5
Thompson's defense attorneys on Tuesday claimed that drugs and a gun found at the scene belonged to his brother, Damarco Thompson, who was a passenger and also fled that night.
Jury to begin deliberating Friday in first Minneapolis Bloods racketeering case to go to trial
Two homicides and a pattern of drug trafficking in south Minneapolis are at the heart of the conspiracy trial involving three defendants among 80 charged to date under a crackdown on violent crime.
Federal indictment: Bank teller machine scam netted hundreds of thousands of dollars
Four people are accused of fraudulently taking out more than $272,000 from Wings teller machines and another $150,000 from other Minnesota institutions.
Eagan woman pleads guilty to wire fraud in Feeding Our Future case
Kawsar Jama, who spent money meant to feed children on real estate and high-end vehicles, is the 22nd person to plead guilty in the $250 million food aid fraud case.
Shakopee nonprofit run by couple indicted in Feeding Our Future case agrees to dissolve
The agreement, which still needs a Scott County judge's approval, came from an investigation by the Minnesota Attorney General, which alleges funds were used to buy a Porsche.
Minnesota sex trafficking survivor sues the Brooklyn Center hotel where abuses occurred
In her federal lawsuit, the survivor says staff at a Brooklyn Center Super 8 facilitated her sex traffickers and even provided extra housekeeping services and towels.
Senate confirms Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Provinzino to be next Minnesota federal judge
President Joe Biden nominated the longtime federal prosecutor earlier this year.
Minnesota Bloods trial will test feds' plan to go after street gangs like the mob
The federal government is alleging a broad conspiracy of murder and mayhem has enriched the Minneapolis Bloods' "enterprise."
B. Todd Jones leaving NFL to rejoin Minneapolis law firm
Jones also previously served as U.S. Attorney and was the first to be confirmed as director of the ATF.
Minnesota AG considers asking U.S. Supreme Court to review age limit on permits to carry firearms
Attorney General Keith Ellison has so far unsuccessfully appealed a Minnesota federal judge's ruling that the state's ban on permits for adults younger than 21 is unconstitutional.
Report: Fleet Farm manager raised questions about straw buyer of gun used in St. Paul mass shooting
Fleet Farm attorneys say an incident report showed that an employee who sold the gun to Jerome Horton at the time did not suspect straw purchasing.
Minneapolis violence interrupter pushing back against feds' claims of Bloods ties
A recent federal court filing alleges that the Agape Movement paid "tens of thousands" to active gang members, including a man out on bail after being charged with murder.
Minnesota man worked with Mexican cartels to fuel historic loads of meth, fentanyl back up north
Clinton James Ward and 14 others have been indicted in a case involving 1,600 pounds of methamphetamine, four kilograms of cocaine, two kilograms of fentanyl plus 30,000 counterfeit fentanyl pills.
Chaotic north Minneapolis arrest yields federal fentanyl, gun charges
Agents say a man appeared to reach for a gun as they wrestled him out of his vehicle during a July 29 arrest.
Minn. AG Keith Ellison asks appeals court to review state's age limit for carrying handguns in public
The age limit is still in effect as Ellison's appeals process continues.
Mankato man who pistol-whipped grandmother, fired at Minneapolis police, pointed gun at child admits guilt
Kamau Evans broke into two Minneapolis homes connected to an ex-girlfriend and fired at police before his arrest.
Charges: Suicide attempt ended standoff that closed I-35 in Faribault; 44 pounds of meth found
Passenger said she loaded a needle with meth for the driver as the two fled a state trooper on July 21.
Guilty plea in plot to bribe Feeding Our Future juror with $120,000 cash
Abdimajid Mohamed Nur, 23, of Shakopee, one of five indicted, pleaded guilty Tuesday.
Rare officer v. officer lawsuit over Hennepin County K9 mauling ordered thrown out by federal appeals court
The lawsuit pitted a former Champlin officer bit by K9 during a pursuit against the sheriff's deputy who released the dog named Thor.
Charges: Federal agents link a dozen guns bought in northern Minnesota to California crime scenes
Prosecutors this week charged a 28-year-old Badger, Minn., man with illegally possessing machine gun conversion devices, or "switches," found during a search of his home.
Prison for all 3 men whose Snapchat gun ring sold 'switches,' ghost guns around the Twin Cities
U.S. District Judge Donovan Frank this week sentenced Kyrees Darius Johnson, 22, of Minneapolis, to nearly eight years in prison to conclude the case — which was filed weeks after Johnson was shot 14 times in an attempted carjacking.
U.S. court agrees Minn. age limit on carrying handguns in public is unconstitutional
Minnesotans between 18 and 20 will be able to apply for permits to carry handguns publicly if Attorney General Keith Ellison does not appeal Tuesday's decision.
FBI 'threat assessment' teams around Minnesota try to stop the next mass shooting
Agents, school psychologists and child protection workers have been meeting regularly to devise "off-ramps" for those who might be considering violence.
Fourth defendant pleads not guilty, will remain jailed as Feeding Our Future bribery case proceeds
Abdiaziz Shafii Farah is being charged with bribery in connection with the alleged plot to pay off a juror last month.
2 men plead not guilty, ordered jailed in Feeding Our Future jury bribery case
Judge cites flight risk for the two men, who pleaded not guilty. Three others are charged.
Feeding Our Future attempted bribery case could affect other trials in Minnesota
Legal experts say the attempted bribe of a juror could deter other Minnesotans from serving on a jury, fearing for their safety or privacy.
Woman pleads not guilty to conspiring to bribe a juror in Feeding Our Future trial
Ladan Mohamed Ali will not be jailed as her case proceeds, but she is barred from contacting witnesses or victims in the bribery case.
Feds charge five in plot to bribe Feeding Our Future trial juror with $120K in cash
Five people, including three who were on trial, are now being charged.
Federal charges: Shooting suspect caught in Brooklyn Park with similar switch-enabled gun he had in 2023 drug arrest
According to charges, Raquan Rahjai Johnson allegedly also possessed a Glock with a gold switch when he was arrested for selling drugs as a juvenile in January 2023.
New federal charges halt 're-emergence' of south Mpls. street gang
"Some of the worst of the worst" are indicted on gun, drug charges.
St. Louis Park man sentenced to 10 years for joining, fighting for ISIS overseas
Abdelhamid Al-Madioum has since said he "joined a death cult" and has helped the FBI investigate terror cases around the country.
Biden nominates assistant U.S. attorney to be next Minnesota federal judge
U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar called Provinzino "the right person for this moment."
Race-based scholarships at Minnesota State University Moorhead subject of new civil rights complaint
A Rhode Island-based conservative nonprofit made the Minnesota university the latest among a growing list of challenges to race-based education policies since a landmark 2023 Supreme Court ruling.
FBI's 'Pig Dig' helps teach Minnesota law enforcement how to find bodies, preserve evidence
Dubbed the "Pig Dig," this FBI class walks local Minnesota agencies through how to meticulously dig up bodies and evidence at outdoor crime scenes.
Bloomington man given 40 years in child porn case involving at least 22 children
Feds extradited Ibrahim Ghassan Sleyman from the United Arab Emirates last year to face prosecution in a case in which prosecutors say new victims are still being identified.
With guilty plea, feds secure 64th and final conviction in magazine fraud case
The U.S. Justice Department said the scam lasted for at least 20 years and victimized more than 100,000 people in all 50 states.
'Straw' gun buyers often are women in abusive relationships
A Star Tribune review of more than two dozen "straw" gun cases charged since 2014 found that a majority involve women connected to an intimate partner, close friend or relative who leaned on them to get their guns. And many of their cases reveal backdrops of trauma or domestic violence.
Feds accuse two business consultants to Hennepin County of stealing $1 million in pandemic aid
Tezzaree El-Amin Champion and Marcus Alexander Hamilton are accused of submitting more than 100 fraudulent invoices and grant and loan applications through their Futuristic Management Group LLC small business consultancy firm.
Kenya property, dreams of becoming 'multimillionaires' highlight texts in Feeding Our Future trial
The federal trial for seven of the 70 people indicted on fraud charges will begin its fourth week of testimony on Monday.
Witnesses parse trove of text messages as Feeding Our Future trial continues in its third week
A special agent from the Internal Revenue Service's criminal investigations unit will return to the stand as trial resumes Friday after a Thursday break.
Ex-Chief Hennepin County Public Defender Kassius Benson given probation for federal tax evasion
He admitted late last year that he failed to pay taxes withheld for employees of his criminal defense firm.
Sharon Lubinski, first openly gay U.S. marshal and longtime MPD leader, dies at 71
Lubinski came out in 1993 and later became one of the highest serving women in law enforcement nationwide.
Wednesday sentencing for St. Louis Park man who joined ISIS called off, to be rescheduled
Abdelhamid Al-Madioum, now 27, surrendered to Syrian forces in 2019 and has spent years providing valuable information about the inner workings of the terror group he once worked for.
Minnesotan will be sentenced for fighting for ISIS: 'I joined a death cult'
As federal authorities stopped groups of Minnesotans from traveling to ISIS territory a decade ago, Abdelhamid Al-Madioum escaped detection. His survival and return home was no less astonishing.
Suit: Staff at Anoka jail withheld opioid withdrawal meds from inmate who collapsed, was injured
A new federal lawsuit is taking aim at Anoka County and an embattled private for-profit health company contracted to provide services at the county jail.
Member of Highs gang given nearly 20-year sentence in federal racketeering case
Montez Brown, 32, was caught with 9,700 fentanyl pills, thousands of dollars in cash, and two firearms during an April 2023 arrest amid the ongoing federal crackdown on Twin Cities gangs.
Gustavus professor accused of fraud to remain jailed after threatening U.S. Attorney
A magistrate judge on Wednesday ordered the professor to undergo a mental health evaluation while in jail as his fraud case proceeds.
Gustavus Adolphus accounting professor indicted on fraud charges over embezzlement claims
James Anthony Kroger is accused of taking more than $690,000 invested by a business partner and using it on 'extravagant personal purchases' while laundering money and filing a sham bankruptcy claim to conceal the scheme.
FBI arrests Minneapolis man, 59, linked to bombing, vandalizing salon over consecutive years
Michael Allen Francisco allegedly confessed to setting off a bomb at the Studio 411 salon in Minneapolis in 2022 before returning to toss a brick through its window a year later.
Man arrested in probe of Inver Grove Heights bank robbery gets 10-year sentence for illegal gun possession
Deundrick McIntosh pleaded guilty to gun charges last year but his attorney said evidence linking him to robbery was "circumstantial."
Feds: Owatonna man who threatened to kill police at Capitol tried to get shotgun back, build new guns
A federal judge on Tuesday sentenced Dayton Sauke to two more years of prison after he violated the terms of supervised release. Investigators found more posts in support of far-right extremist groups.
29 years in federal prison for Pine City man who used Snapchat to victimize hundreds of young girls
Federal prosecutors say Caleb Vincent McLaughlin perpetrated 'by far' one of Minnesota's worst child-exploitation cases.
Apple Valley man led police on high speed chases, found with escalating amounts of drugs and guns in four run-ins since 2020
A federal judge this week sentenced Timothy Allen Torell Wetzstein to 13 1/2 years in prison in what prosecutors described as a 'drug-and-gun-and-fleeing escapade.'
Charges: Girlfriend bought AR-15 style firearms for felon weeks before Burnsville ambush
Shannon Cortez Gooden was legally barred from possessing guns at the time of the Feb. 18 standoff that claimed the lives of three first responders.
Federal grand jury investigating how Burnsville shooter acquired guns
Ex-girlfriend said prosecutors investigating last month's deaths of three first responders asked whether Shannon Cortez Gooden could have forced her to buy guns on his behalf.
Sentencing set for St. Louis Park man who left family to fight for ISIS in 2015
Abdelhamid Al-Madioum lost most of an arm while fighting for ISIS, and has been in custody since surrendering to Syrian forces in 2019.
Federal charges: Aitkin County man illegally possessed guns, child porn, researched police ambushes
Juan Michael Smith allegedly ordered guns to be shipped to a Robbinsdale retailer and had his daughter pick them up in the store.
Minnesota now alleging Fleet Farm violated state law when it sold firearms to straw buyers
A federal judge last week allowed the state to add new allegations to its lawsuit, first filed in 2022.
St. Cloud man gets 10 years for illegal gun possession, pistol used by 5-year-old in fatal shooting
According to charges, Roberto Antwan Williams hid the gun his now-wife's child used to shoot himself.
Federal charges link fatal Dinkytown tobacco shop, Uptown shootings to Minneapolis gang rivalry
A new gun and fentanyl case identified the deceased as members of the north Minneapolis Lows gang.
Three more charged with shipping record amounts of fentanyl to Minnesota inside stuffed animals
Investigators seized more than 66 pounds of fentanyl pills found in six shipments due for the Twin Cities.
Prosecutors reveal Minnesota meth trafficker's bosses: federal prison inmates
A federal judge on Tuesday sentenced John Paul Majerus II to 15 years for conspiring to ship Mexican meth to Minnesota with connections he made during his first prison stint.
Charges: Man caught with 170 pounds of fentanyl, meth, cocaine on return trip from Mexico to Minnesota
The more than 60 pounds of fentanyl allegedly found in Rito Gaxiola Jr.'s Jeep would rival a Minnesota record that involved six people and four months of trafficking by mail.
As trial starts, Owatonna man pleads guilty to child porn charges, threatening to murder sex abuse victim
Michael Lee Kurkowski was arrested in 2022 while traveling to the home of a former victim, carrying zip ties and weapons in his luggage.
Ensuring those barred from owning guns don't get them comes down to 'honor system'
Shannon Cortez Gooden had been prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition for 16 years when he killed two Burnsville police officers and a paramedic last week.
Ex-Medtronic consultant convicted of insider trading; Twin Cities insurance agent acquitted
Doron "Ron" Tavlin was convicted on one count of conspiracy to commit insider trading and 10 counts of securities fraud and aiding and abetting securities fraud. The same jury found David Jay Gantman not guilty of all charges
Judge reduces record payout in 2017 police killing of Black man in St. Paul
A federal judge this month concluded that the City of St. Paul should pay far less than the $11.5 million a jury awarded the mother of a man shot dead in 2017.
Suspect in shooting of Burnsville officers and medic had violent past, lost right to own guns
Two orders for protection were filed against the man by women he shared children with. Authorities say the 38-year-old killed himself Sunday after fatally shooting two Burnsville police officers and a paramedic.
Federal sentences imposed in Minneapolis carjacking ring targeting Somali rideshare drivers
A federal judge imposed sentences of between 5 and 8 years this week on three Minneapolis men, with one more to come next week.
