St. Louis Man Indicted on Additional Federal Charge of Drug Distribution Resulting in Death

St. Louis, MO –Antonio Adrian Minnis, Jr., 26, of St. Louis, MO, was charged today in a superseding indictment with felony charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm and distributing a controlled substance which resulted in the death of another.  Minnis was originally charged with the federal gun crime in January 2019.  Today’s superseding indictment added the federal drug charge. 

According to the superseding indictment and court documents, Minnis was responsible for distributing fentanyl that caused the death of another individual on or about July 18, 2018.  Then, on September 16, 2018, Minnis possessed a Glock 19 nine-millimeter semi-automatic pistol despite the fact that Minnis had been previously convicted of a felony crime.

Following the return of today’s indictment, United States Attorney Jeff Jensen commended law enforcement’s continued investigation into Minnis’ criminal activity.  “Today’s charge is another example of this Office’s commitment to combating the opioid epidemic that is taking far too many lives far too often.  Just because a person is indicted does not mean that the investigation stops.  That was certainly the case here.”

If convicted, the charge of felon in possession of a firearm carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.  The drug distribution charge carries a term of imprisonment of not less than 20 years and not more than life with a fine of not more than $1 million dollars or both.  In determining the actual sentences, a judge is required to consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide recommended sentencing ranges.

This case is being investigated by the Saint Louis County Police Department.

Charges set forth in the indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt.  Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.