Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald today announced a federal indictment charging RAIVON TREYSHAN BALENGER, 28, with being a felon in possession of a firearm. BALENGER will be arraigned on this charge beforeMagistrate Judge Elizabeth Cowan Wright in U.S. District Court at a later date.

According to documents filed in court, on November 9, 2019, St. Paul police officers were dispatched to an apartment complex on Concordia Avenue in St. Paul, Minnesota, following a 911 call reporting a man pacing back and forth holding a gun with a green laser sight. During the 911 call, the caller reported that the man had fired a shot. When officers arrived they saw a man, later identified as BALENGER, standing alone next to the apartment building. BALENGER, who
appeared to be hiding, began to run when one officer turned on his spotlight. The officers pursued and were able to apprehend BALENGER, who had in his back pocket a Smith & Wesson model M&P Shield .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol with a green laser sight attached to it. The firearm had been reported stolen from Oakdale, Minnesota. Because BALENGER has prior felony convictions in Ramsey County, he is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms at any time.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the St. Paul Police Department. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative that brings together federal, state, and local law enforcement to combat violent crime. This case is also part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Calhoun-Lopez is prosecuting the case.

Defendant Information:

• RAIVON TREYSHAN BALENGER, 28, Clearwater, Fla.
• Charges: Felon in possession of a firearm, 1 count

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