A St. Paul man with a criminal past will be behind bars for nearly four years after being sentenced for illegal firearm possession. U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger confirmed the felony conviction and the accompanying 46-month prison term, which is to be followed by three years of supervised release.
Documents from the court detail on March 7 show how De’Voncea Lashoun Griffo, 24, found himself the target of an investigation by the St. Paul Police Department. Identified and watched closely, Griffo was apprehended after exiting his apartment and driving to a thrift store lot. During the stop by the police, Griffo jettisoned a cross-body bag, which later revealed a .45 caliber Glock with an extended magazine capable of holding 23 rounds, as announced by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The Glock had been illegally modified with an "auto sear" or a "switch," a device that allows a semi-automatic weapon to fire automatically. Griffo's possession of this modified firearm, coupled with his prior felony conviction, clearly violated federal firearm laws that forever bar felons from having in their control such dangerous tools.
Upheld by the rule of law, Judge Michael J. Davis handed down the sentence after Griffo entered a guilty plea for one count of felon in possession of a firearm on July 18. This case, brought to light by the collective efforts of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the St. Paul Police Department, was successfully prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Hillary A. Taylor, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office.
