St. Paul Felon Sentenced for Possessing a .38 Caliber Revolver

Earlier today in federal court in Minneapolis, a 21–year–old felon from St. Paul was sentenced for possessing a .38 caliber revolver on January 29, 2010. United States District Court Judge Ann D. Montgomery sentenced Jerel Valdez Martin to 66 months in prison on one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Martin was indicted on July 6, 2010, and pleaded guilty on January 27, 2011.

In his plea agreement, Martin admitted to possessing the revolver. On January 29, Martin was in a car with three other people when it was stopped by police following a report that one of the passengers was involved in a domestic assault. The gun was found under Martin’s seat. Because he is a felon, Martin is prohibited under federal law from possessing a firearm at any time. Martin’s prior felonies include a conviction in Hennepin County in 2005 for aggravated first–degree robbery and a conviction in Ramsey County in 2008 for third–degree sale of a controlled substance.

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 Julie E. Allyn.

Note, this case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (“PSN”), an initiative launched by the U.S. Justice Department in 2001 to promote a multi–jurisdictional, comprehensive approach to reducing gun crime in America. PSN provides resources to strengthen law enforcement and crime prevention partnerships that are working to make our streets and communities safer.