Howard Ozell Crenshaw, a resident of Minneapolis, has pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to the illegal possession of stolen firearms with the intention to sell them, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick. The events unfolded when an undercover law enforcement officer contacted Crenshaw on December 2, 2022, expressing an interest in purchasing firearms. Crenshaw offered an AR-15 rifle and two Beretta handguns for $2,600. The exchange was scheduled for December 13, 2022.
Upon meeting, the undercover officer agreed to buy an additional shotgun for $500, bringing the total to $3,100. On the agreed date, Crenshaw briefly entered the officer's vehicle before directing him to a nearby location where he had concealed the firearms in a residential trash can. The officer retrieved the firearms and passed Crenshaw $2,600 in cash. Later, after a phone call, Crenshaw collected the additional $500 left in the trash can.
The firearms sold to the undercover officer included a Benelli M1 Super 90 shotgun, an Armalite .223 AR-15 rifle, and two Beretta M9 handguns. They were reported stolen following a burglary in St. Paul on November 19, 2022. As a convicted felon with four prior counts, including Drug Sale – 1st Degree, Crenshaw is barred under federal law from owning firearms.
"Crenshaw is a four-time convicted felon and drug dealer who decided to sell stolen firearms," stated Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick, citing the collaboration with federal partners at ATF for removing Crenshaw from the streets. Crenshaw was charged with one count of illegal possession of firearms as a felon. Judge Susan R. Nelson oversaw the plea, and sentencing is set for August 5, 2025. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives led the investigation, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Jordan L. Sing prosecuting the case.