Federal Jury Finds Twin Cities Felon Guilty of Illegal Firearm Possession

DULUTH, Minn. –  A federal jury found a Twin Cities man guilty of possessing a firearm as an armed career criminal, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to the evidence presented at trial, on July 7, 2023, Mille Lacs Tribal Police Department officers were dispatched to a residence in Onamia in response to a 911-call concerning a suspected drug overdose.  Officers encountered Jeremy Jantile Burton, 36, lying unconscious on the floor of a bedroom in the residence, and began resuscitation efforts. After administering two doses of Narcan, the officers moved Burton from the floor of the bedroom to a nearby mattress and noticed a magazine of a handgun protruding from his shorts pocket. In order to secure the scene for EMS personnel, the officers recovered the handgun from Burton’s pocket, and also observed several items of drug paraphernalia in the bedroom. Burton was transported to the Onamia Hospital by ambulance and the officers obtained a search warrant. A subsequent search of the residence revealed several controlled substances including cocaine, methamphetamine and fentanyl, scales commonly used to weigh controlled substances, several items of drug paraphernalia, and 36 rounds of 9 mm ammunition. 

Because Burton has multiple prior felony convictions in Hennepin, Ramsey, and Mille Lacs counties, as well as in the state of Georgia, including aggravated robbery, drug, and firearm possession, he is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time.

Following a three-day trial before Chief Judge Patrick J. Schiltz in U.S. District Court in Duluth, a jury found Burton guilty on Friday of possession of a firearm as an armed career criminal. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Mille Lacs Tribal Police Department, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the FBI, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew Dunne and Michael P. McBride represented the United States at trial.