ST. PAUL— A federal jury found a Minneapolis felon and known Bloods gang member guilty of illegally possessing a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
According to evidence presented at trial and court documents, in the early morning hours of October 16, 2022, Isaiah Lemuel Elisha Ferguson, 27, was involved in a fight at the Basement Bar in the North Loop Neighborhood of Minneapolis. The fight led to a confrontation outside the bar that quickly escalated into a shooting where Ferguson pulled and fired a gun. Officers from the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) were nearby, heard the gunshots, and were able to quickly subdue and arrest Isaiah Ferguson. Officers found a FN Herstal 5.7 x 28 caliber semi-automatic pistol nearby.
Prior to this incident, on Nov. 7, 2019, a hotel staff member found a firearm in a room registered to Ferguson and called the police. MPD officers discovered a Glock .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol in the room. In July 2020, MPD officers executed a search warrant at Ferguson’s residence and found several firearms and ammunition in his cars and residence.
Because Ferguson has prior felony convictions in Winona and Hennepin Counties, he is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time.
On November 15, following a three-day trial before Judge Susan Richard Nelson in U.S. District Court, Ferguson was found guilty on one count of possessing a firearm as a felon. He will be sentenced at a later date.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, Minnesota Department of Corrections, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Minneapolis Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Esther Soria Mignanelli and Thomas Calhoun-Lopez tried the case.
