U.S. Attorney's Office
September 19, 2014

U.S. Attorney Luger Announces Charges in Robbery at Minnesota State Fair

United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger today announced a criminal complaint charging ANTONIO WASHINGTON, 20, with armed robbery on August 29, 2014, at the Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild exhibit at the Minnesota State Fair. WASHINGTON made an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in St. Paul, Minn., before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey J. Keyes.

“The Great Minnesota Get-Together is a local institution,” said U.S. Attorney Luger. “The State Fair should be about family fun with corn-on-the-cob, cows, and carnival rides. As charged, this defendant disrupted our collective nostalgia by bringing violence to this summer ritual.”

According to the criminal complaint and documents filed in court, at approximately 11:00 p.m. on August 29, 2014, after the Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild exhibit was closed for the day, WASHINGTON entered the Mintahoe Catering and Events office in the Agriculture Horticulture Building and pointed a gun at the head of one of the victims. WASHINGTON and an accomplice used duct tape to bind the victims to chairs in the office before filling bags with approximately $104,000, which constituted the day’s proceeds. WASHINGTON was arrested on September 17, 2014.

The investigation is ongoing.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey S. Paulsen is handling the prosecution.

This case is the result of an investigation by the Twin Cities Safe Streets Violent Gang Task Force (TCSSVGTF). The Task Force is a FBI-sponsored task force focused on combating violent street crime, as well as gang and drug-trafficking offenses.

U.S. Attorney Luger thanked the Minnesota State Fair Police Department, Twin Cities Safe Streets Violent Gang Task Force, Federal Bureau of Investigation, St. Paul Police Department, and the Faribault Police Department for conducting the investigation.

Defendant Information:

ANTONIO WASHINGTON St. Paul, MN

Charges:

  • Violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1951 (Hobbs Act robbery), one count
  • Violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c) (using, carrying and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence), one count