Armed Career Criminal Sentenced to 272 Months in Prison for Illegal Possession of a Firearm | USAO-MN

MINNEAPOLIS – A Minneapolis man was sentenced to 272 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for possessing a firearm as a felon, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger. 

According to evidence presented at trial and court documents, law enforcement received information from a confidential informant that Gregory Lynn McCoy, 60, was in possession of a handgun and illegal narcotics. On October 22, 2019, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant of McCoy’s residence and nearby vehicle. McCoy was inside the residence at the time. Upon his arrest, McCoy tossed multiple bags of illegal narcotics into a nearby closet. Officers found 20 bags of illegal narcotics and a box of .45 caliber ammunition hidden inside his residence. Officers also found a .45 caliber semiautomatic pistol with a loaded magazine and two additional magazines in the center console of McCoy’s Dodge Durango. The vehicle was registered to McCoy and McCoy’s DNA was found on one of the three magazines.

On November 1, 2021, McCoy was convicted at trial of possessing a firearm as a felon. He was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Nancy E. Brasel. McCoy was sentenced to 262 months in prison for possessing a firearm as a felon and to an additional 10 months in prison for having committed the crime while on supervised release. Due to his multiple prior felony convictions, McCoy qualified for an increased penalty under the Armed Career Criminal Act.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys David J. MacLaughlin and Joseph S. Teirab prosecuted the case.

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