Cass Lake man indicted in federal court on gun charge

MINNEAPOLIS – A Cass Lake man recently arrested by a federal-state task force aimed at reducing gun violence in Minneapolis was indicted on a felony gun possession charge Tuesday.

Anthony Duane Howard, 25, faces 10 years in prison for the crime of being a felon in possession of a weapon, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Howard is classified as a felon due to a 2003 conviction for first-degree assault and a 2011 conviction for fourth-degree assault. He was arrested in Dec. 1, 2012 after being found in possession of a .357 revolver.

While not a rare crime, Howard’s case is unique in that it is being charged federally – giving prosecutor’s the opportunity to pursue lengthier sentences.

Howard was charged in federal court as part of Project Exile Minneapolis, a cooperative effort between the Minneapolis Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms.

Project Exile was founded in 2010 in an effort to curb gun violence in the city. More than a dozen “habitual criminals” have been prosecuted through Project Exile since its inception, according to the release.