Felon Indicted for Possessing Firearms, Ammunition

MINNEAPOLIS — Recently in federal court, a 30–year–old felon was indicted for possessing a nine–millimeter pistol and a .22–caliber rifle. On June 5, 2012, Richard Handsome Carter was charged with three counts of being a felon in possession. Carter was apprehended yesterday and had his initial appearance earlier today.

The indictment alleges that on April 12, 2012, Carter possessed the semi–automatic pistol and semi–automatic rifle, as well as 42 rounds of nine–millimeter ammunition. In addition, the pistol contained eight rounds of ammunition. Because he is a felon, Carter is prohibited under federal law from possessing a firearm or ammunition at any time. His prior Dakota County convictions include terroristic threats (2002), second–degree assault with a deadly weapon (2003), and domestic assault by strangulation (2008).

Since those offenses constitute crimes of violence, sentencing in the current federal case, if Carter is found guilty, will be subject to the federal Armed Career Criminal Act. That act mandates a minimum of 15 years in prison for anyone convicted in federal court of being a felon in possession of a firearm if that person has at least three prior state or federal convictions for crimes of violence or serious drug crimes. All sentences will be determined by a federal district court judge.

This case is the result of an investigation by the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the St. Paul Police Department; and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey M. Bryan.

Note, this case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a comprehensive, strategic approach to reducing gun crime in America. PSN, launched by the U.S. Department of Justice in 2001, encourages cooperative, multi–jurisdictional law enforcement and crime prevention efforts.

Winona Man Sentenced for Sending and Possessing Child Pornography

MINNEAPOLIS—Earlier today in federal court, a 57-year-old Winona man was sentenced for sending and possessing child pornography. United States District Court Judge John R. Tunheim sentenced Dennis Gale Chase to 292 months in prison, along with 20 years of supervised release, on three counts of transportation of child pornography and three counts of possession of child pornography. Chase was indicted on May 2, 2011 and was convicted on December 22, 2011.

According to the indictment and evidence presented at trial, Chase transported via a computer on March 28, March 29, and April 28, 2011 visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. In addition, Chase possessed both images and videos containing similar conduct on September 9, 2009, February 17, 2010, and May 4, 2011. The depictions were downloaded and stored on Chase’s computer, while additional depictions were stored on external hard drives and on thumb drives.

This case was the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Georgia Bureau of Investigations, the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office (Florida), the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and the Winona Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kimberly A. Svendsen and Laura M. Provinzino.

Presently, the Justice Department is funding a study concerning the correlation between involvement in child pornography and the hands-on sexual abuse of children. A 2008 study (The Butner Study) published in the Journal of Family Violence found that up to 80 percent of federal inmates incarcerated for possession, receipt, or distribution of child pornography also admitted to hands-on sexual abuse of children, ranging from touching to rape.

The U.S. Department of Justice is committed to combating the sexual exploitation of children, particularly via the Internet. In fiscal year 2010, 2,235 defendants pleaded guilty to federal child pornography charges, 2,222 of whom were sentenced to prison. In fiscal year 2009, 2,083 defendants were sentenced to prison on child pornography charges. For more information about these efforts, please visit the Department’s Project Safe Childhood website, at www.projectsafechildhood.gov.