News and Press Releases
St. Cloud felon sentenced for possessing
a .38-caliber handgun
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 22, 2011
MINNEAPOLIS – Earlier today in federal court, a 30-year-old St. Cloud felon was
sentenced for possessing a .38-caliber handgun. United States District Court Judge Ann D.
Montgomery sentenced Aaron Dante Moreno to 180 months in prison on one count of being a
felon in possession of a firearm. Moreno was indicted on May 18, 2011, and pleaded guilty on
August 9, 2011. In his plea agreement, Moreno admitted that on October 4, 2010, he possessed
the pistol and brandished it in order to gain entry to a St. Cloud residence.
Because he is a felon, Moreno is prohibited under federal law from possessing a firearm at
any time. Moreover, since he has been convicted of three or more separate violent felonies,
Moreno was prosecuted as an armed career criminal. Moreno’s prior felonies convictions include
terroristic threats in Benton County (2005 and 2009) and third-degree burglary in Benton County
(2006); third-degree assault in Dakota County (2009); and second-degree burglary in Pine
County (2001).
This case was the result of an investigation by the St. Cloud Police Department and the U.S.
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S.
Attorney Kevin S. Ueland.
Note, this case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (“PSN”), an initiative launched by the
U.S. Justice Department in 2001 to promote a multi-jurisdictional, comprehensive approach to
reducing gun crime in America. PSN provides resources to strengthen law enforcement and
crime prevention partnerships that are working to make our streets and communities safer.
