Rochester Man Convicted of Illegal Machine Gun Possession

A Rochester, Minnesota jury found 32‑year‑old Richard Larue Taylor guilty of illegal possession of a firearm by a person convicted of a violent crime, as well as possession of a trigger activator that converts a handgun into a fully automatic machine gun. The charges stem from his arrest in February 2025 at a gas station in northwest Rochester, where deputies discovered a loaded Glock handgun equipped with an extended magazine and a semiautomatic sear switch. Taylor also faced a misdemeanor count of fleeing police after attempting to escape on foot.

Taylor, who previously served a five‑year sentence for a gang‑related shooting in Brooklyn Center, is being held without bail pending a sentencing hearing scheduled for October.