Mexican National Caught with Gun, Fake ID Sentenced

ST. LOUIS - U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Tuesday sentenced a man from Mexico who was caught with a firearm and fraudulent identification documents after a road rage incident to a year and a day in prison.

Donnovan Mallen, 22, of Berkeley, Missouri, will be deported after his release from prison.

Mallen admitted in a guilty plea in August that on Feb. 26, 2021, he was driving to work when a vehicle followed him and fired four shots at him in St. Charles, Missouri. Mallen said he fired once into the air. Police found a loaded 10mm semi-automatic pistol under the front passenger seat of Mallen's Dodge Charger, which had a shattered rear window. Mallen also had a fraudulent Permanent Resident Card and Social Security card.

Mallen pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to illegal entry and unlawful possession of a firearm by an illegal alien.

Homeland Security Investigations and the St. Charles Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Christian Goeke is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.