Inver Grove Heights Man Sentenced to 54 Months’ Imprisonment for Being a Felon in Possession of Stolen Firearms

MINNEAPOLIS - United States Attorney Daniel N. Rosen announced that Raul Gutierrez, Jr., 33, of Inver Grove Heights, was sentenced to 54 months' imprisonment for being a felon in possession of firearms. He was sentenced before U.S. District Judge John R. Tunheim on July 27, 2026.

According to court documents, on January 14, 2026, Gutierrez participated in a violent civil disturbance in Minneapolis where he and others broke into a vehicle belonging to the FBI. When his accomplice arrived, the vehicle was already extensively damaged, and the rear hatch was open. The accomplice broke into a vault in the cargo area of the vehicle and removed a rifle bag and a satchel of ammunition. The bag contained a semiautomatic rifle and a silencer, both of which are firearms under federal law. The accomplice gave the bag to Gutierrez, who took it to his car and drove away. Gutierrez abandoned the firearms a short time later, and his accomplice took the firearms to his home.

Before Gutierrez possessed the rifle and silencer, he had been convicted of burglary of a building in Dunn County, Wisconsin, and domestic assault-strangulation in Ramsey County, Minnesota. Both of those are felony convictions that barred Gutierrez from possessing firearms.

"Today's sentencing reflects my office's commitment to taking dangerous individuals off the streets and protecting the people of Minnesota. Stealing FBI firearms during a violent disturbance poses an unacceptable risk to public safety, and we will continue working with our federal partners to hold offenders accountable," said United States Attorney Daniel N. Rosen.

"Today's sentence underscores the fact that violence, theft, and damage to public property have no place in lawful protests," said FBI Minneapolis Field Office Special Agent in Charge Christopher D. Dotson. "To the contrary, criminal behavior like the theft of law enforcement weapons endangers the law-abiding public engaged in First Amendment expression. As we work to uphold the Constitution and protect the public, the FBI and our federal, state, and local partners will not tolerate dangerous and destructive behavior. This sentence proves there are serious consequences for those who seek to use lawful demonstrations as a cover for criminal behavior."

"When a convicted felon took possession of a stolen FBI rifle and silencer, the danger extended far beyond the scene of the unrest," said Acting Special Agent in Charge Spence Burnett of the ATF St. Paul Field Division. "ATF, working alongside members of the Hennepin County Violent Offender Task Force, located and arrested Gutierrez just hours after the firearm was stolen. The U.S. Attorney's Office carried the case forward in court, and this sentence holds Gutierrez accountable for the danger his actions created in the community."

Gutierrez pleaded guilty on May 5, 2026. His accomplice, Alexio Miranda, pleaded guilty to possessing a stolen firearm on June 26, 2026, and his sentencing is scheduled for October 28, 2026.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Hennepin County Violent Offender Task Force.

Assistant United States Attorney Campbell Warner and Special Assistant United States Attorney Jeanne Semivan are prosecuting this case.

Note: Previous press release on Gutierrez's accomplice here.