News and Press Releases
Defendant in Project Exile Minneapolis case sentenced for possessing a .22-caliber rifle
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 13, 2012
MINNEAPOLIS – Yesterday in federal court in St. Paul, the first defendant ever charged
through Project Exile Minneapolis was sentenced for possessing a .22-caliber, semi-automatic
rifle. United States District Court Judge Richard H. Kyle sentenced Calvin Lorenzo Harris, age
26, of Richfield, to 54 months in prison on one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Harris was indicted on September 9, 2010, and pleaded guilty on May 3, 2011.
In his plea agreement, Harris admitted that on June 1, 2010, he possessed the rifle, which
had a barrel length of less than 16 inches and an overall length of less than 26 inches. Because he
is a felon, Harris is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition of any kind at any time.
His past convictions include first-degree aggravated robbery in Hennepin County in 2004 and
third-degree criminal sexual conduct in Hennepin County in 2006.
Court documents indicate that in this case, officers responded to a 911 call at 2:30 a.m. on
June 1, 2010. The call concerned one or more individuals with firearms in front of a Minneapolis
apartment building. Harris admitted being one of those individuals and fleeing into the building
when officers arrived on the scene. He was apprehended following a brief foot chase. During the
chase, he admittedly dropped the gun.
This case was the result of an investigation by the Minneapolis Police Department and the
ATF’s Violent Crime Impact Team. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Allen A.
Slaughter.
Harris is one of many defendants who have been charged federally through Project Exile
Minneapolis. That law enforcement initiative was launched on July 22, 2010, as part of a
citywide effort to reduce gun violence. Through Project Exile, the Minneapolis Police
Department and the ATF work together to apprehend serial criminals for violations of gun laws. Then, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office teams up with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to
determine where those offenders will most effectively be prosecuted – state or federal court.
Those determinations are based on the offenders’ criminal histories and current charges, among
other factors. To date, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has brought charges against approximately 15
serious habitual criminals through Project Exile Minneapolis.
