Department of Justice

MINNEAPOLIS – A Minneapolis man has been sentenced to 48 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for illegal possession of a firearm. Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge Michael J. Davis sentenced the defendant.

According to court documents, on June 29, 2021, officers with the Minneapolis Police Department approached a man who had an outstanding warrant for his arrest. Cody Lennell Taylor, 29, was standing next to the man and fled on foot as officers approached. As he ran, Taylor threw a red bag he had been wearing. Officers recovered the bag, and inside found a Kimber model Micro 9 9mm semi-automatic pistol. Officers later apprehended Taylor who admitted that the red bag was his, and that he threw it because the police approached him.

Because Taylor has prior felony convictions in Hennepin County, he is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time.

On November 19, 2021, Taylor pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm as a felon.

This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Minneapolis Police Department.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Calhoun-Lopez.

###