St. Cloud Career Criminal Sentenced For Possessing .22-caliber Rifle

MINNEAPOLIS—Earlier today in federal court, a 25-year-old career criminal from St. Cloud was sentenced for possessing a .22-caliber rifle. United States District Court Judge Patrick J. Schiltz sentenced Shawn Allen Roering to 204 months in prison on one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Roering was indicted on April 3, 2012, and pleaded guilty on August 15, 2012.

In his plea agreement, Roering admitted that on August 18, 2011, he possessed the semi-automatic rifle and attempted to sell it. The barrel of the rifle was sawed-off, was less than 12 inches in length, and had an obliterated serial number. Police learned that the rifle had been reported stolen.

Because he is a felon, Roering, also known as Shrek, is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time. His prior convictions include aiding and abetting simple robbery in Wright County (2005), fleeing a police officer in a moving vehicle in Morrison County (2010), and fourth-degree sale of a controlled substance in Benton County (2010). Since at least three of Roering’s past felony convictions were for crimes of violence or serious drug crimes, his sentence in the current case was subject to the Armed Career Criminal Act, which mandates a minimum of 15 years in federal prison.

This case was the result of an investigation by the Central Minnesota Drug and Gang Task Force, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Calhoun-Lopez.