If you are charged with a felony in Minnesota, exercise your right to remain silent and contact a defense attorney immediately. Felony convictions carry prison sentences determined by the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Grid, which calculates your presumptive sentence based on offense severity level and criminal history score. Beyond incarceration, a felony conviction triggers lasting consequences for employment, housing, firearm rights, voting, and immigration status. Early legal counsel is critical for evaluating defenses, challenging evidence, negotiating plea terms, and pursuing sentencing departures.
Felony Defense FAQs
What should I do immediately after being charged with a felony in Minnesota?
Invoke your right to remain silent and contact a criminal defense attorney before making any statements to law enforcement. Do not discuss the case with anyone, including on social media. Attend all court dates and comply with any conditions of release. Early counsel can evaluate the charges, review the evidence, challenge probable cause, and begin building a defense strategy before critical deadlines pass.
How does the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Grid work?
The Grid determines the presumptive sentence for felony convictions based on two factors: the offense severity level (ranked 1 to 11) and the offender's criminal history score (calculated from prior felonies, custody status, and other factors). The intersection indicates whether the presumptive sentence is a stayed sentence (probation) or an executed sentence (prison), and the duration. Judges may depart upward or downward from the presumptive sentence based on aggravating or mitigating factors.
What are mandatory minimum sentences in Minnesota?
Certain offenses carry mandatory minimum prison terms that override the Sentencing Guidelines Grid. Under § 609.11, crimes committed with a dangerous weapon carry mandatory minimums of one to three years, and crimes involving a firearm carry three to five years. Drug offenses under § 152 carry mandatory minimums of 36 to 48 months for first- and second-degree convictions. When a mandatory minimum applies, the court must impose the greater of the mandatory minimum or the Guidelines presumptive sentence.
Can a felony charge be reduced or dismissed?
Depending on the facts and evidence, defense strategies may include negotiating a reduction to a gross misdemeanor or misdemeanor, pursuing dismissal based on insufficient evidence or constitutional violations, seeking a downward departure at sentencing, or entering a stay of adjudication or continuance for dismissal where eligible. Each option depends on the specific offense, criminal history, strength of the evidence, and the jurisdiction.
What are the long-term consequences of a felony conviction in Minnesota?
A felony conviction can result in loss of firearm rights, restrictions on employment and professional licensing, ineligibility for certain housing, loss of voting rights during incarceration and supervised release, immigration consequences including deportation for non-citizens, and impacts on custody proceedings. Under federal immigration law, certain state felonies may qualify as aggravated felonies with severe consequences. Counsel evaluates all collateral consequences as part of defense strategy.
Minnesota Felony & Serious Criminal Offense Representation
A felony charge in Minnesota carries the most serious consequences in the criminal justice system — from years in state prison to permanent impacts on employment, housing, civil rights, and family. Ashley Heaney, Attorney at Law, provides thorough defense representation for clients facing felony and high-level state offense allegations throughout Minnesota. We examine every aspect of the case — from the investigation and charging decision to the Sentencing Guidelines calculations and departure arguments — to identify constitutional violations, evidentiary weaknesses, and opportunities for charge reduction, dismissal, or favorable sentencing outcomes.
Violent Felony Defense
Violent felonies — including assault, robbery, and weapons offenses — carry some of the highest severity levels on the Sentencing Guidelines Grid and may trigger mandatory minimum sentences under § 609.11. We evaluate self-defense claims, witness credibility, forensic evidence, and whether the prosecution can prove every element beyond a reasonable doubt.
Sentencing Guidelines & Criminal History
The Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Grid determines your presumptive sentence based on offense severity and criminal history score. We calculate your score, identify errors in the state's computation, and pursue downward departures based on mitigating factors such as amenability to probation, minor role in the offense, or particular circumstances.
Mandatory Minimum Sentences
Certain Minnesota offenses carry mandatory minimum prison terms that cannot be reduced by the Sentencing Guidelines. Weapons offenses under § 609.11 and serious drug offenses under § 152 are common examples. We challenge the factual and legal basis for mandatory minimums and evaluate whether exceptions or alternative dispositions apply.
Plea Negotiation & Charge Reduction
Felony plea negotiations require careful analysis of the evidence, potential sentences, and collateral consequences. We negotiate with prosecutors for charge reductions, stays of adjudication, continuances for dismissal, and favorable sentencing recommendations — always ensuring you understand every option and consequence before making a decision.
Collateral Consequences & Immigration
Beyond prison and fines, a felony conviction affects firearm rights, employment, housing, voting, professional licensing, and immigration status. For non-citizens, certain state felonies qualify as aggravated felonies under federal immigration law, triggering mandatory deportation. We address the full scope of consequences in every defense strategy.
Post-Conviction Relief & Expungement
If you have a prior felony conviction, options may include expungement under Minnesota's statutory framework, sentence modification, or probation violation defense. We evaluate eligibility for expungement, challenge probation revocation proceedings, and pursue post-conviction relief where the law permits.