St. Cloud Career Criminal Pleads Guilty to Possessing .22-caliber Rifle
MINNEAPOLIS – Earlier today in federal court, a 24-year-old career criminal from St. Cloud pleaded guilty to possessing a .22-caliber rifle. Shawn Allen Roering pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Roering, who was indicted on April 3, 2012, entered his plea before United States District Court Judge Patrick J. Schiltz.
In his plea agreement, Roering admitted that on August 18, 2011, he possessed the semi-automatic rifle and attempted to sell it. The barrel of the rifle had been sawed-off, and was less than 12 inches in length with an obliterated serial number. Police learned that the rifle had been reported stolen.
Because he is a felon, Roering, also known as Shrek, is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time. His prior convictions include aiding and abetting simple robbery in Wright County (2005), fleeing a police officer in a moving vehicle in Morrison County (2010), and fourth-degree sale of a controlled substance in Benton County (2010). Since at least three of Roering's past felony convictions were for crimes of violence or serious drug crimes, sentencing in the current case will be subject to the Armed Career Criminal Act, which mandates a minimum of 15 years in federal prison. The maximum sentence is life in prison. Judge Schiltz will determine the sentence at a future hearing, not yet scheduled.
This case is the result of an investigation by the Central Minnesota Drug and Gang Task Force, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and the U.S. ATF. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Calhoun-Lopez.
Note, this case is part of 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.
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