Brothers plead guilty to charges of illegally possessing ammo, firearms

Krystal Frasier KSTP

The U.S. Department of Justice says two Hennepin County men will be sentenced at a later date for crimes involving illegally possessing firearms and ammunition earlier this year.

According to U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger, 19-year-old Quantez Ward entered a guilty plea Monday to one count of possession of a firearm as a felon.

Ward’s twin brother, 19-year-old Cortez Ward, already entered a guilty plea to one count of possessing ammunition as a felon in late October. That charge stemmed from a traffic stop on May 6 in Maple Grove where the brothers were pulled over.

Authorities say Cortez Ward had a Polymer 80 pistol with an extended magazine that was loaded with 19 rounds of ammunition at the time of the stop.

Then, police found multiple firearms, including two rifles and a pistol, while serving a federal arrest warrant at the brothers’ home on July 19.

Both brothers were previously charged in January of 2022 in Hennepin County for possessing machine guns. Those charges came after they were caught with firearms that had both been modified with an auto sear, a device also known as a switch. Authorities say those are used to convert a semi-automatic firearm into a fully automatic weapon and are considered a machine gun.

After they pleaded guilty to the January charges, both men were released in May and were placed on probation. They were arrested that same month, and their sentences for those May charges will be determined later.