Minnesota State Wire

Divaunte Kartrell Young, 24, has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison and three years of supervised release after being found guilty by a federal jury of illegally possessing a firearm as a felon. The announcement was made by Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson.

“Career criminals are not in charge of Minnesota,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson. “Young threatened this victim with a gun and then tried to bribe his way out of accountability. Acts of violence and corruption like this will always end the same way—with years in federal prison.”

According to court documents, the incident took place in spring 2023 when Young spent the day with a woman who had recently met him, driving him around Rochester, Minnesota. At the end of the day, Young asked her to drive him from Rochester to the Twin Cities—a trip that would have taken over four hours roundtrip for her. When she refused multiple times, Young revealed he had a gun in his crossbody bag and threatened her life with statements such as “what if I shot your brain” and suggested he could shoot up the car.

The woman fled from her own vehicle out of fear, leaving Young inside it. She later called police, who responded to the scene and found Young asleep in the passenger seat with his crossbody bag containing a Taurus nine-millimeter handgun located in the glove compartment.

After being detained pending trial, authorities reported that Young attempted to obstruct justice from jail by calling the victim and urging her to lie about what happened; when she refused, he tried offering her money as a bribe.

Young’s criminal record includes felony convictions for domestic assault, aggravated robbery, burglary, and assaulting a corrections officer. At the time of this crime he was on probation for four separate cases but had absconded supervision.

On March 26, 2025, following trial proceedings, Young was convicted on charges related to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

United States District Judge Eric C. Tostrud handed down today’s sentence. In court remarks Judge Tostrud described Young’s history as “deeply troubling” and said it showed he was “a lifelong criminal” with five prior adult felonies. Judge Tostrud added: “Reasonable people fear for their lives when they are threatened with a firearm. There is no question the victim’s fears were justified. The defendant was in a prime position to act on his threats.” Judge Tostrud imposed the maximum penalty allowed—15 years imprisonment—concluding that Young represented “a great danger to the public” and displayed “no respect for the law.”

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) along with Rochester Police Department investigated this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Evan B. Gilead, David B. Green, and Ruth S. Shnider prosecuted.