Minnesota man with 9 convictions gets 20 years for ghost gun

A 36-year-old man was sentenced on Thursday to 20 years in prison for his ninth conviction after his DNA was found in a loaded ghost gun.

Minnesota U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen announced Friday that Esau Sago was sentenced to 240 months in prison and five years of supervised release. Rosen said Sago was convicted in November 2025, after a two-day trial in a case for possessing ammunition as an “armed career criminal.”

According to court documents, Sago was barred from having ammunition or a firearm because of prior felony convictions. Those convictions included two for domestic assault and one for domestic assault-strangulation, which qualified him as an armed career criminal.

Other convictions included fleeing from police, threats of violence and vehicle theft.

“The defendant is a danger to not only the community, but his conduct also placed law enforcement officers’ lives at risk,” Rosen said. “Today’s sentence protects public safety and ensures he is held accountable for his actions.”

Background

In Oct. 2024, court documents said New Hope police spotted a white SUV with obstructed license plates and what appeared to be a rushed paint job consistent with a stolen vehicle. Officers tried to stop it, but Sago sped away, according to court documents.

Sago then led officers from New Hope, Crystal and Robbinsdale on a chase that lasted for miles. Prosecutors said speeds exceeded 70 mph through residential areas before a Crystal officer used a PIT maneuver to stop the SUV.

Then, officers arrested Sago, who was the only person inside. After the SUV was towed, an officer found a loaded handgun with no serial number on the fence, according to court documents.

Then, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension found Sago’s DNA on the ghost gun.

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