A St. Paul man with a rap sheet got slammed with a hefty prison term for toting ammo as a convict. Damien Kent Hallmon, 40, will serve a 74-month sentence for the offense, according to the Justice Department. U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger confirmed the sentencing, which stems from a traffic stop gone bad for Hallmon back in 2022.

Following multiple traffic violations, Bloomington police pulled Hallmon over on August 28, 2022. Officers claimed to quickly scope out signs of marijuana use and decided to search the car, leading to finding a loaded 9mm "ghost gun"—a firearm absent of a serial number—stashed in the purse of Hallmon's fiancé. Hallmon, being a previously convicted felon, is legally barred from owning such firepower—or even the ammunition that goes along with it.

The firearm in question—a Polymer 80—is known on the streets as a "ghost gun" or a "privately made firearm" (PMF), a type of weapon increasingly surfacing in crimes across the nation. These guns, often put together from parts bought online, sidestep traditional tracking methods due to their lack of serial numbers. Hallmon's felony record made his interaction with the gun, and its ammunition, a federal violation.

Hallmon didn't manage to convince the jury of his innocence, with a conviction being handed down on November 3, 2023. Judge Kate M. Menendez laid down the law in U.S. District Court the day before yesterday, doling out a sentence that will keep Hallmon behind bars for over six years. The case was cracked wide open by a collective effort from the Bloomington Police Department, the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office Forensic Science Lab, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mary S. Riverso, Ruth S. Shnider, and Laura M. Provinzino took turns taking swings at the case in court. Hallmon's sentence underscores the strict enforcement against felons possessing ammunition—a red line drawn by federal law.