A federal jury in St. Paul has convicted a local man of illegally possessing a firearm as a felon, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
Samson Diamonte Xavior-Smith, 27, was found guilty on April 21, 2022, of one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to the evidence presented at trial, on June 25, 2021, the St. Paul Police Department received a 911 call reporting a pedestrian, later identified as Xavior-Smith, had pointed a gun at the driver of a stopped vehicle on the Robert Street Bridge.
St. Paul Police officers responded to the scene and, after a foot chase, apprehended Xavior-Smith at the intersection of 4th Street and Cedar Street. During the chase, officers observed, and city surveillance cameras recorded, Xavior-Smith place an object into a trash can.
Immediately after his arrest, officers looked inside that trash can and recovered a Sig Sauer, Model P290RS, 9mm pistol from the trash can. Subsequent testing found Xavior-Smith’s DNA on the gun.
Because Xavior-Smith has multiple prior felony convictions in Ramsey and Washington Counties, 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.
The case was 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 Benjamin Bejar tried the case.
Related Federal Cases
- Anthony Dale Randklev, Felon in Possession of a Firearm, Minnesota 2018 · Washington
- Derek Lamarr Gaines, Felon in Possession of a Firearm, Maryland 2024 · Washington
- Ossie Bradley, Felon in Possession of a Firearm, Nebraska 2021 · Washington
- River William Smith, Illegal Possession of a Machine Gun, Minnesota 2022 · New York
- David Oday Smith, Illegally Possessing a Loaded Firearm, DC, 2024 · Washington
Key Facts
- State: Minnesota
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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