Last week, Akeem Edwine Gbor, age 34, was sentenced to six (6) years in federal prison for fentanyl dealing. Garden-variety stuff, really, not even worthy of a press release from prosecutors.
But Gbor’s road to the federal courthouse in downtown Minneapolis last Wednesday is quite the tale.
We pick up the story in 2017, with Gbor convicted in state court of a misdemeanor disorderly conduct, complete with three skipped court hearings and a stayed jail sentence.
Two separate petty misdemeanor convictions for marijuana possession followed. Next we have a gross misdemeanor conviction on a gun charge, a Glock .380 pistol. Another stayed jail sentence.
In 2019, Gbor admitted to a probation violation, but received no jail time. He still owes $239 in fines from that case.
In 2021, we have a misdemeanor drunk driving conviction for Mr. Gbor. Another stayed jail sentence.
In 2022, Gbor was charged with felony possession of fentanyl. He was caught leaving the scene of an auto accident in St. Paul and found with the drugs and some 9mm ammunition. After all of this courtroom activity, the bond amount had blown up to $40,000.
He pled down to a misdemeanor charge, and was sentenced to probation.
In 2024, Gbor, billed out of Richfield, was charged with gross misdemeanor theft in Edina. He pled down to a misdemeanor, received another stayed sentence, and ordered was to stay away from the Target store in Edina. The order was specific only to the Edina Target.
In July 2025, he was indicted in federal court on two felony counts: one for dealing fentanyl and a second count for possessing two 9mm pistols. The fentanyl case arose out of a larger investigation of dealing in the metro area.
He was released on a $0 bond. In October 2025, Gbor agreed to a plea deal that included sentencing guidelines of between 7 and 9 years in prison, with a mandatory minimum of 5 years. The gun charge was dropped.
A sentencing date was set for April 8, 2026. Prosecutors asked for a prison sentence of 7 years and three months.
But on April 3, court records indicate,
Gbor’s Hennepin County mugshot,
On April 7, Hennepin County transferred Gbor over to the U.S. Marshals in anticipation of his April 8 sentencing date. He appeared in federal court on the 7th where a consular notice was read into the record, qualifying Gbor for Minnesota Man status.
The next day, federal Judge Michael Davis sentenced Gbor to six years in prison, above the mandatory minimum, but below the minimum of the guidelines range in the plea agreement.
So many warning signs missed.
