Travon Lavelle Blackman, Illegal Possession of a Firearm, Minnesota 2022

St. Paul, MN - A pair of Minneapolis felons have been sentenced to lengthy prison terms for their roles in a high-profile case involving the illegal possession of a firearm.

Travon Lavelle Blackman, 24, and Michael Eugene Hunter, 23, both of Minneapolis, were sentenced on [no date given] for possessing a handgun with a large capacity magazine that could hold 50 rounds of ammunition.

According to court records, between April 30 and May 5, 2020, Blackman and Hunter 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.

The Minneapolis Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation that led to the charges against Blackman and Hunter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Bejar prosecuted the case.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mn/pr/two-minneapolis-felons-sentenced-respectively-70-and-82-months-prison-illegal-possession