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.”
The incident occurred in spring 2023 when Young spent the day with the victim, who had recently met him and agreed to drive him around Rochester, Minnesota. At the end of the day, Young asked her to drive him from Rochester to the Twin Cities, which would have been a round trip of more than four hours for her. When she refused, Young showed her a gun in his crossbody bag and threatened her life, making statements such as “what if I shot your brain” and threatening to shoot up the car. The victim became frightened and eventually fled, leaving Young with her car.
After escaping, the victim contacted police. Officers responded to where she had left her car and found Young asleep inside it. A search revealed his cross-body bag containing a black and silver Taurus nine-millimeter handgun in the glove compartment.
While detained before trial, Young attempted to obstruct justice by calling the victim from jail and asking her to lie about what happened; when she refused, he tried to bribe her.
Young’s criminal record includes felony convictions for domestic assault, aggravated robbery, burglary, and assaulting a corrections officer. He was on probation for four separate cases at the time but had absconded from supervision.
On March 26, 2025, a federal jury convicted Young of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
United States District Judge Eric C. Tostrud sentenced Young on August 28, 2025. In delivering the sentence, Judge Tostrud stated that Young’s history was “deeply troubling” and described him as “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.” He concluded that Young posed “a great danger to the public” who had “no respect for the law,” issuing the maximum sentence allowed.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and Rochester Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Evan B. Gilead, David B. Green, and Ruth S. Shnider prosecuted the case.
