Eugene Denzel Johnson, Felon in Possession of a Firearm, Minnesota 2012

MINNEAPOLIS—A Minneapolis felon was sentenced to 80 months in prison for possessing a .44-caliber revolver, a federal firearm that he is prohibited from owning due to his previous convictions.

Eugene Denzel Johnson, 28, was sentenced by United States District Judge Ann D. Montgomery on one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Johnson was indicted on November 20, 2012, and pleaded guilty on May 13, 2013. In his plea agreement, Johnson admitted that on September 5, 2012, he was riding in a vehicle that police attempted to stop following a traffic violation.

Johnson jumped from the passenger side of the vehicle and ran, a gun tucked in his waistband. Spotting the gun as Johnson exited the vehicle, police gave chase, ultimately apprehending him a short time later. Officers recovered the gun after using a trained canine to trace the path that Johnson had taken.

Johnson’s prior convictions include first-degree aggravated robbery in Hennepin County in 2005 and 2010, theft of a motor vehicle in Ramsey County in 2003, and criminal damage to property in Dakota County in 2003.

The case was the result of an investigation by the Minneapolis Police Department and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Amber M. Brennan.

The case was charged under Project Exile Minneapolis, a city-wide effort to reduce gun violence. Through this initiative, the Minneapolis Police Department and the ATF work together to apprehend serial criminals for violations of gun laws.

To date, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has brought charges against more than two dozen serious habitual criminals through Project Exile Minneapolis.

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