Recent content from Stephen Montemayor
Suit: Staff at Anoka jail withheld opioid withdrawal meds from inmate who collapsed, was injured
A new federal lawsuit is taking aim at Anoka County and an embattled private for-profit health company contracted to provide services at the county jail.
Member of Highs gang given nearly 20-year sentence in federal racketeering case
Montez Brown, 32, was caught with 9,700 fentanyl pills, thousands of dollars in cash, and two firearms during an April 2023 arrest amid the ongoing federal crackdown on Twin Cities gangs.
Gustavus professor accused of fraud to remain jailed after threatening U.S. Attorney
A magistrate judge on Wednesday ordered the professor to undergo a mental health evaluation while in jail as his fraud case proceeds.
Gustavus Adolphus accounting professor indicted on fraud charges over embezzlement claims
James Anthony Kroger is accused of taking more than $690,000 invested by a business partner and using it on 'extravagant personal purchases' while laundering money and filing a sham bankruptcy claim to conceal the scheme.
FBI arrests Minneapolis man, 59, linked to bombing, vandalizing salon over consecutive years
Michael Allen Francisco allegedly confessed to setting off a bomb at the Studio 411 salon in Minneapolis in 2022 before returning to toss a brick through its window a year later.
Man arrested in probe of Inver Grove Heights bank robbery gets 10-year sentence for illegal gun possession
Deundrick McIntosh pleaded guilty to gun charges last year but his attorney said evidence linking him to robbery was "circumstantial."
Feds: Owatonna man who threatened to kill police at Capitol tried to get shotgun back, build new guns
A federal judge on Tuesday sentenced Dayton Sauke to two more years of prison after he violated the terms of supervised release. Investigators found more posts in support of far-right extremist groups.
29 years in federal prison for Pine City man who used Snapchat to victimize hundreds of young girls
Federal prosecutors say Caleb Vincent McLaughlin perpetrated 'by far' one of Minnesota's worst child-exploitation cases.
Apple Valley man led police on high speed chases, found with escalating amounts of drugs and guns in four run-ins since 2020
A federal judge this week sentenced Timothy Allen Torell Wetzstein to 13 1/2 years in prison in what prosecutors described as a 'drug-and-gun-and-fleeing escapade.'
Charges: Girlfriend bought AR-15 style firearms for felon weeks before Burnsville ambush
Shannon Cortez Gooden was legally barred from possessing guns at the time of the Feb. 18 standoff that claimed the lives of three first responders.
Federal grand jury investigating how Burnsville shooter acquired guns
Ex-girlfriend said prosecutors investigating last month's deaths of three first responders asked whether Shannon Cortez Gooden could have forced her to buy guns on his behalf.
Sentencing set for St. Louis Park man who left family to fight for ISIS in 2015
Abdelhamid Al-Madioum lost most of an arm while fighting for ISIS, and has been in custody since surrendering to Syrian forces in 2019.
Federal charges: Aitkin County man illegally possessed guns, child porn, researched police ambushes
Juan Michael Smith allegedly ordered guns to be shipped to a Robbinsdale retailer and had his daughter pick them up in the store.
Minnesota now alleging Fleet Farm violated state law when it sold firearms to straw buyers
A federal judge last week allowed the state to add new allegations to its lawsuit, first filed in 2022.
St. Cloud man gets 10 years for illegal gun possession, pistol used by 5-year-old in fatal shooting
According to charges, Roberto Antwan Williams hid the gun his now-wife's child used to shoot himself.
Federal charges link fatal Dinkytown tobacco shop, Uptown shootings to Minneapolis gang rivalry
A new gun and fentanyl case identified the deceased as members of the north Minneapolis Lows gang.
Three more charged with shipping record amounts of fentanyl to Minnesota inside stuffed animals
Investigators seized more than 66 pounds of fentanyl pills found in six shipments due for the Twin Cities.
Prosecutors reveal Minnesota meth trafficker's bosses: federal prison inmates
A federal judge on Tuesday sentenced John Paul Majerus II to 15 years for conspiring to ship Mexican meth to Minnesota with connections he made during his first prison stint.
Charges: Man caught with 170 pounds of fentanyl, meth, cocaine on return trip from Mexico to Minnesota
The more than 60 pounds of fentanyl allegedly found in Rito Gaxiola Jr.'s Jeep would rival a Minnesota record that involved six people and four months of trafficking by mail.
As trial starts, Owatonna man pleads guilty to child porn charges, threatening to murder sex abuse victim
Michael Lee Kurkowski was arrested in 2022 while traveling to the home of a former victim, carrying zip ties and weapons in his luggage.
Ensuring those barred from owning guns don't get them comes down to 'honor system'
Shannon Cortez Gooden had been prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition for 16 years when he killed two Burnsville police officers and a paramedic last week.
Ex-Medtronic consultant convicted of insider trading; Twin Cities insurance agent acquitted
Doron "Ron" Tavlin was convicted on one count of conspiracy to commit insider trading and 10 counts of securities fraud and aiding and abetting securities fraud. The same jury found David Jay Gantman not guilty of all charges
Judge reduces record payout in 2017 police killing of Black man in St. Paul
A federal judge this month concluded that the City of St. Paul should pay far less than the $11.5 million a jury awarded the mother of a man shot dead in 2017.
Suspect in shooting of Burnsville officers and medic had violent past, lost right to own guns
Two orders for protection were filed against the man by women he shared children with. Authorities say the 38-year-old killed himself Sunday after fatally shooting two Burnsville police officers and a paramedic.
Federal sentences imposed in Minneapolis carjacking ring targeting Somali rideshare drivers
A federal judge imposed sentences of between 5 and 8 years this week on three Minneapolis men, with one more to come next week.
FBI arrests Redwood Falls man identified as alleged member of Nazi group
Before his arrest for illegally possessing ammunition, Andrew David Munsinger allegedly plotted to build unserialized firearms and talked about his "goals to support the white race."
Nine more charged in latest wave of Feeding Our Future federal fraud case
Newly unsealed indictments outline the charges against a group of relatives and a married couple running a Minneapolis grocery store.
Third man sentenced in August 2020 arson at Target headquarters
Outburst aimed at judge cut Wednesday's hearing short in St. Paul.
Nearly 7 years in prison for Twin Cities man accused of stockpiling for armed police conflict
Federal judge did not impose maximum 10-year sentence sought by prosecutors who warned River Smith posed "unique danger to the public."
Iranian, two Canadian nationals facing federal charges in Minnesota for alleged murder-for-hire plot
According to charges, "criminal network" plotted to kill Iranian dissidents, opposition activists.
Patent infringement lawsuit in Minneapolis had an unlikely star: fake Christmas trees
After staring at trees for more than a week, jury awards $42 million to Taiwanese company.
Sentencing rescheduled for Savage man who called for armed conflict, shared extremist views
River W. Smith, 21, of Savage, is now set to be sentenced on Jan. 30.
On eve of sentencing, beliefs of Twin Cities man who discussed killing cops are under microscope
FBI says River W. Smith, 21, celebrated mass shootings, prepared for armed conflict with police.
Onamia man gets 24 years in federal prison after assaulting girlfriend with unserialized gun
Prosecutors called for decadeslong sentence for Justin Cutbank, citing his history of felonies and the pervasive nature of crimes against Native American women.
Dispute between Blaine council member, Muslim affairs group hurtles forward with new defamation suit
Lori Saroya, ex-leader of CAIR in Minnesota, is suing her former employer — three years after it tried suing her.
DEA reports boom in Minnesota fentanyl pill seizures for 2023
The state outpaced its Midwestern counterparts in busts involving the potentially deadly opioid.
Minnesota man wrongfully imprisoned 25 years in wife's drowning death sues officials
Thomas Rhodes, freed last year, was the first to be released under new Minnesota Conviction Review Unit.
Christian 'Quest for Authentic Manhood' instructor sues Minnesota prison leaders for program ban
The Corrections Department ended the decade-old program last year, saying it excluded gay men and promoted dangerous gender stereotypes.
Federal charges filed against man who shot Minneapolis girl with assault-style rifle New Year's Day
Prosecutors charged James William Turner, arrested last week, with illegally possessing ammunition as a felon.
Supreme Court refuses to consider ex-MPD officer Tou Thao's federal sentence appeal
The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals previously upheld his conviction for violating George Floyd's civil rights.
Using ankle monitor data, Feds nab man accused in armed robberies of Twin Cities mail carriers
Suspect was on pretrial release for identity theft and fraud charges in Georgia at time of the November robberies.
Feds use weapons charge to arrest man linked to two Minneapolis homicides in 2022
According to the ATF, Deandre Franklin is a 'prime suspect' in Dec. 19 killing of man previously charged with stealing French bulldog puppies.
The silent toll of gun injuries: 'Survival is only the beginning'
The epidemic of deaths from firearms only tells part of the story. In the shadows, hundreds of Minnesotans hurt by gunfire struggle to repair their lives.
Minnesota joins coalition urging Supreme Court to uphold ban on bump stock devices
The nation's high court is expected to rule next year on whether federal machine gun law applies to bump stocks.
Star Tribune settles class-action lawsuit over video data sharing
The claim stemmed from concerns over information sharing with Facebook about videos watched on the Star Tribune website.
Family, friends of St. Paul's Tou Ger Xiong gather in remembrance
Loved ones of the Hmong-American activist and performer killed recently in Colombia, who gathered Saturday in Woodbury for a memorial, said they're still reeling from his loss.
Multi-state probe yields federal gun charges against man who allegedly threatened ex for months
Shaninth Michael Ray was arrested in Austin, Minn., this year and found with the same revolver depicted in threatening videos sent to woman, her family.
Judge Wilhelmina Wright, first Black woman on Minnesota's federal bench, will retire in February
Wright, who served across three state court branches, was appointed by President Obama in 2016.
After Senate confirmation, Judge Jeffrey Bryan will be Minnesota's first Latino federal jurist
The Court of Appeals judge was twice a finalist for the Minnesota Supreme Court since 2018.
Feds go after fentanyl supply in latest crackdown on Mpls. gangs
Wednesday's announcement is the third wave in an initiative to counter gang violence in Twin Cities, charging 14 new alleged members or associates of the gang.
Acquitted of federal charges, Hamel man now wants DOJ to remove news release from web
Steven Dornsbach says web search results are hurting his family's concrete construction company.
'An evil arms race': Switch devices are turning more handguns into machine guns
Small parts the size of a Lego are filling communities with modern-day machine guns that can empty an entire magazine with a single trigger pull.
Minnesota Supreme Court: Pieces of a gun enough to be charged with illegal possession
In 4-3 decision, state's high court upholds 2021 conviction based on discovery of disassembled shotgun parts.
Federal charges: Sting disrupts Snapchat group that sold illegal 'switches,' ghost guns in Minnesota
Undercover agents monitored and set up controlled buys of illegal machine gun conversion devices throughout this past spring.
Castro Medina sentenced to three years for role in Lazzaro sex-trafficking scheme
She pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking and obstructing the investigation.
Body found after girl, 11, disappears while swimming in Lake Nokomis
Hennepin County Sheriff's Office says girl reportedly went underwater while swimming on east side of Minneapolis lake.
Sheriff: Motorcyclist killed after fleeing state trooper in northwestern Minnesota
The Friday evening pursuit and crash in Becker County remain under investigation.
Minnesota police are recovering record numbers of guns. Tracing them is hampered by federal law.
As gun crimes soar, so do the requests for tracing. But tight resources and a 1986 law make it harder to follow the trail of guns used in crimes.
Feds charge 14 Minneapolis gang members in push to curb gun crimes
Alleged leaders and others from the Minneapolis Lows gang are being charged for the first time under an ongoing federal initiative.
Man gets nearly 37-year prison term for Truck Park shooting in St. Paul
Terry Brown fired the shot that killed bystander Marquisha "Kiki" Wiley during a gun battle in the Truck Park bar on W. 7th Street.
Appeals court affirms federal conviction of Tou Thao in George Floyd's killing
Already a federal inmate, Thao faces sentencing on the state charges Monday.
The life of a gun: Tracing its path from Texas to the black market to a mass shooting in St. Paul
A handgun used in one of the worst mass shootings in St. Paul history began its journey to Minnesota from a sprawling factory in Texas. The story of this pistol's short, violent life is like that of thousands of legally purchased handguns that turn up in crimes across Minnesota each year.
Why is Minnesota such a hotbed of professional wrestling?
Locals helped develop the sport back when wrestling was dominated by major regional centers.
Las Vegas man who fired first shot during deadly mass shooting in St. Paul sentenced to 29 years
More than a dozen people were hit by gunfire that night in October 2021. Marquisha Wiley, 27, died.
Justice Department finds pattern of discriminatory policing in Mpls.
The Minneapolis Police Department routinely engaged in a pattern of racist and abusive behavior, according to a Justice Department investigation. The city will now begin negotiating a court-enforceable consent decree.
Scott County gun store employee charged with possessing 'switch' devices
Benjamin Zwack, 29, of Burnsville, is accused of selling 3D-printed devices that render guns fully automatic.
Feds target Minneapolis 'Highs,' 'Bloods' gangs for gun, drug crimes
45 alleged gang members are charged in the "first wave" of a new shift in the ongoing federal violent crime strategy.
Three juveniles killed in two separate ATV crashes Saturday in Minnesota
Both accidents are under investigation.
Two dead in third fatal fire at same Duluth apartment building since 2020
Two firefighters were also injured; multiple cats dead.
Five-year prison sentence for 22-year-old Sauk Rapids man who made, sold 'ghost guns'
Jay James Olson pleaded guilty to selling the guns and parts including machine gun conversion devices to an informant last year.
Federal appeals court revives legal challenge to Minnesota insulin safety net program
Pharmaceutical trade group first sued in 2020, alleging constitutional violations.
Anton Lazzaro to be sentenced Aug. 9 for federal child sex trafficking conviction
Lazzaro, attorneys plan to appeal.
Anton Lazzaro found guilty in child sex trafficking case
Jurors convicted Lazzaro — described by prosecutors as "Minnesota's Jeffrey Epstein" — after about two hours of deliberation Friday.
