Two Men Charged With Illegally Possessing Firearms

United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald today announced a criminal complaint charging JARVAE JOSIAH SOMERVILLE, 27, and RONALD DONTE FINLEY, JR., 25, with one count each of possession of a firearm by a felon. SOMERVILLE and FINLEY made their initial appearances earlier today before Magistrate Judge Katherine M. Menendez in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The defendants were ordered to remain in custody pending a formal detention hearing, which is scheduled for Tuesday, July 14, 2020.

According to the allegations in the criminal complaint and law enforcement affidavit, investigators with the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) determined that SOMERVILLE and FINLEY were suspects in a shooting that occurred on May 19, 2020, in North Minneapolis. While conducting surveillance on SOMERVILLE, MPD officers observed SOMERVILLE and FINLEY at a restaurant on Lake Street in Minneapolis. SOMERVILLE was inside the restaurant and FINLEY was outside near an Infinity sedan that the men were driving. Officers moved in to make an arrest. When officers approached FINLEY, FINLEY ran from the Infinity sedan but was apprehended and arrested. Inside the Infiniti sedan, officers found a Sig Sauer 9mm semi-automatic pistol. When officers entered the restaurant and attempted to arrest SOMERVILLE, SOMERVILLE ran inside a private bathroom in the back of the restaurant. An officer chasing SOMERVILLE followed SOMERVILLE inside, and SOMERVILLE reached into his waistband. Concerned that SOMERVILLE was reaching for a firearm, the officer grabbed SOMERVILLE’s hand, and the two men struggled until other officers arrived to assist. After SOMERVILLE was handcuffed and taken into custody, officers recovered from the floor of the bathroom a Glock, .45 caliber semi-automatic handgun with an extended magazine.

According to the allegations in the criminal complaint and law enforcement affidavit, later that day, officers executed a search warrant at SOMERVILLE’s residence and found a box of .45 caliber ammunition and a gun cleaning kit. On July 9, 2020, investigators confirmed that FINLEY’s fingerprints were present on the magazine of the 9mm pistol found in the Infiniti sedan. Because SOMERVILLE has prior felony convictions in Hennepin County and FINLEY has prior felony convictions in Cook County, Illinois, they are prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time. 

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Minneapolis Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. This case was brought as part of the Twin Cities Violent Crime Task Force, a multi-agency effort that brings together additional federal and state resources to assist local law enforcement to investigate, arrest, and prosecute individuals responsible for gun violence in the Twin Cities. For more information about the Twin Cities Violent Crime Task Force, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-mn/pr/united-states-attorney-announces-new-twin-cities-violent-crime-task-force.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Calhoun-Lopez is prosecuting the case.

Defendant Information:

JARVAE JOSIAH SOMERVILLE, 27

White Bear Lake, Minn.

Charges:

• Felon in possession of a firearm, 1 count

RONALD DONTE FINLEY, JR., 25

Minneapolis, Minn.

Charges:

• Felon in possession of a firearm, 1 count

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United States Attorney’s Office, District of Minnesota: (612) 664-5600