Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

MINNEAPOLIS — A St. Paul man has been sentenced to 46 months in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release for illegally possessing a firearm as a felon, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, on March 7, 2023, officers with the St. Paul Police Department were conducting surveillance at an apartment looking for De’Voncea Lashoun Griffo, 24, a suspect in an ongoing investigation. Officers observed Griffo leave his apartment building wearing a cross-body bag across his chest and get into the driver’s seat of a Chevrolet Equinox. After Griffo pulled into a thrift store parking lot, officers activated emergency lights and conducted a felony stop. Griffo removed his cross-body bag and set it behind the center console of the car, and was placed under arrest. Officers later obtained a warrant to search Griffo’s vehicle and recovered the cross-body bag, which contained a .45 caliber Glock pistol with an extended magazine containing 23 rounds of ammunition. The firearm had been modified with an auto sear, also known as a switch, which is a device used to convert a semi-automatic firearm into a fully automatic firearm.    

Because Griffo has a prior felony conviction, he is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time.

On July 18, 2023, Griffo pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm as a felon. He was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge Michael J. Davis.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the St. Paul Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Hillary A. Taylor prosecuted the case.

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