Federal Jury Finds St. Paul Man Guilty of Felon in Possession of a Firearm

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A federal jury found Noel Hall of St. Paul guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced Acting U.S Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick.

According to evidence presented at trial, Noel Debra Hall, 47, drunkenly brandished a firearm inside a St. Paul apartment at approximately 5:30 a.m. on July 7, 2024. The St. Paul Police Department responded to the apartment complex and engaged in a multi-hour standoff with Hall, who was barricaded inside. Hall surrendered to police after the St. Paul SWAT team deployed a drone inside the apartment. Law enforcement ultimately discovered a semiautomatic pistol and a loaded magazine concealed in a box spring within the apartment.

According to court documents, Hall is a former federal defendant convicted in 2019 of possession with the intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl. He was on supervised release for that conviction when he committed this offense of unlawfully possessing a firearm.

“As a convicted felon, Noel Hall was prohibited from possessing a firearm, and his conduct underlying his conviction in this case shows precisely why that was—he was a clear and present danger to the public. St. Paul is a safer place as a result of the jury’s verdict,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick.

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

Assistant U.S. Attorney Raphael B. Coburn tried the case.