Grand Forks man sentenced to 13 years in prison for stolen firearms, assault | News, sports, jobs

FARGO – A Grand Forks man has been sentenced to 13 years in prison after pleading guilty to charges of possessing stolen firearms and assaulting a federal agent.

Michael Allen Otto, 45, Grand Forks, appeared before Chief Judge Peter Welte in U.S. District Court in Fargo on Monday, according to a statement from U.S. Attorney Mac Schneider.

Welte sentenced Otto to thirteen years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Otto was also assessed a special assessment of $175 and ordered to pay $2,713.72 in restitution for damaged vehicles.

According to the release, on September 15, 2023, Otto was stopped by police for a routine traffic stop and led officers on a high-speed chase. Officers eventually stopped Otto and found two stolen firearms in Otto’s vehicle. In July 2024, an arrest warrant was issued for him because Otto had violated the terms of his pretrial release. Grand Forks police officers and Federal Bureau of Investigation agents attempted to take Otto into custody on July 15, but he rammed his vehicle into a Grand Forks Police Department vehicle and an FBI vehicle occupied by two FBI agents.

“This suspect has endangered the safety of federal and local law enforcement officers while violating the court-ordered conditions of his pretrial release.” Schneider said. “Today’s strict punishment is therefore justified. The United States Attorney’s Office is committed to keeping our communities safe, and that means aggressively prosecuting attacks on agents and officers in all cases in which we have jurisdiction.”