FARGO, ND (trfnews.i234.me)—On January 23, 2025, Anthony Kruger, 35, of Breckenridge, Minnesota, was sentenced to five years and ten months in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. A federal grand jury indicted Kruger in May 2023 for possessing a firearm on or about January 5, 2023. Due to prior felony convictions, including forgery, escape, and drug charges in Richland County between 2010 and 2012, Kruger was prohibited from possessing firearms.
Kruger was on supervised release on January 16, 2023, when 40-year-old Jeremiah Medenwald of Hankinson, North Dakota, was shot and killed in a car parked near the Wahpeton sports arena. Investigators alleged that Kruger fired multiple shots at the vehicle after the two men had been at Dakota Magic Casino. Medenwald died from a gunshot wound to the back.
Kruger was arrested and charged with murder on January 23, 2023; however, the charges were dropped three weeks later. The investigation into Medenwald’s death is ongoing, and Kruger remains a person of interest, according to Wahpeton Police Chief Matt Anderson.
In August 2023, federal prosecutors reached a plea agreement with Kruger on the firearm possession charge, to which he pleaded guilty on September 19. At the sentencing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob Rodenbiker recommended a sentence within the guidelines of 70 to 87 months. Defense attorney Anne Carter argued for a 46-month sentence, citing mitigating factors and time already served.
Judge Peter Welte imposed a sentence of five years and ten months, aligning with the government’s recommendation. He also recommended placement in a facility close to Kruger’s family and encouraged participation in the Bureau of Prisons’ residential drug abuse program.
The Medenwald homicide case was not addressed during the sentencing.
I’m Chris Harper, reporting for trfnews.i234.me