Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Minneapolis man was sentenced today to 70 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for possessing a firearm as a felon.

According to court documents, on March 2, 2021, Minneapolis police officers, who had a warrant for Theoplus Richmond, 34, conducted a traffic stop on Richmond’s vehicle. Officers recovered from the vehicle a loaded Glock model 19, pistol from a bag in the trunk of the vehicle. The firearm had been converted from a semiautomatic pistol into a fully automatic firearm with a device commonly referred to as a “glock switch,” or an “auto-sear.”

On July 20, 2021, Richmond pleaded guilty to one count of possessing a firearm as a felon. Because he has prior felony convictions in Hennepin County and Washington County (Mississippi), Richmond is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time.

Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Eric C. Tostrud sentenced the defendant.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Minneapolis Police Department.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Samantha H. Bates and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey S. Paulsen.