A 36-year-old man with several prior convictions was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison last week for being an armed career criminal in possession of ammunition.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Esau Chucky Sago was convicted in November 2025 following a two-day jury trial and sentenced on Thursday.
Sago’s prior felony offenses include two convictions for domestic assault and one for domestic assault-strangulation, which qualified him as an armed career criminal, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
His prior felony convictions prohibited him from possessing ammunition or a firearm. Additionally, armed career criminals who possess firearms or ammunition are subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years.
Sago’s other felony convictions include fleeing police in a motor vehicle, threats of violence, and vehicle theft, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
In his latest case, New Hope Police Department officers observed a white SUV with obstructed license plates on Oct. 10, 2024, around 12:45 a.m.
Police also noticed that the vehicle appeared to have a rushed paint job intended to make it look white, an indicator that it was potentially stolen.
Given their suspicions, police attempted to stop the SUV, but it sped away. Sago, who was driving, then led police from Crystal and Robbinsdale on a high-speed chase that lasted for miles, with speeds surpassing 70 miler per hour in residential areas, the U.S. Attorney’s Office explained.
Eventually, a Crystal police officer performed a PIT maneuver, causing the SUV to spin out and come to a stop in a Minneapolis yard. Sago was the only person in the vehicle and was quickly arrested.
Police found a loaded handgun with no serial number — known as a “ghost gun” — on top of a fence that the SUV had knocked down.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension found Sago’s DNA on the grip of the pistol, the base of the magazine, a round in the magazine, and the round in the chamber, a U.S. Attorney’s Office press release said.
“The defendant is a danger to not only the community, but his conduct also placed law enforcement officers’ lives at risk. Today’s sentence protects public safety and ensures he is held accountable for his actions,” said U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen.
Crystal Police Chief Brian Hubbard said his officer “facilitated the arrest of an individual with an extensive criminal history, in possession of a firearm and drugs, and driving a stolen car with stolen license plates while endangering the public in his attempt to evade being taken into custody.”
“The Crystal Police Department is committed to protecting our communities through arresting dangerous individuals like this defendant and is appreciative of the partnership with the ATF and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in aggressively pursuing charges against these individuals,” he added.
Anthony Gockowski
Anthony Gockowski is Editor-in-Chief of Alpha News. He previously worked as an editor for The Minnesota Sun and Campus Reform, and wrote for the Daily Caller.
