Man Sentenced in Dakota County Armed Robbery Case After Receiving Federal Prison Sentence for Carjackings, Firearm Offense
Published: October 11, 2026
WEST SAINT PAUL, MN: A 23-year-old man previously sentenced to nearly six years in federal prison for his involvement in a series of armed carjackings and a federal firearm offense has now been sentenced in Dakota County District Court for a separate armed robbery in West St. Paul.
Ricardo Rydell Walker Jr. was sentenced Wednesday, October 7, 2026, to 68 months in state prison after pleading guilty to aiding and abetting first-degree aggravated robbery. The conviction stems from a June 28, 2022, incident in which two suspects allegedly held a handgun against a victim's face, stole his belongings, and threatened to kill him unless he provided the PIN for his bank card.
The state sentence follows a March 24, 2025, federal sentencing in which Walker received 70 months in prison and three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to carjacking and receiving a firearm while under indictment for a felony. According to federal prosecutors, Walker participated in four armed carjackings between February 2021 and June 2022, including incidents in Minneapolis and Saint Paul. The crimes involved victims being threatened with firearms, assaulted, or forced to surrender their vehicles.
The new Dakota County sentence will run concurrently with Walker's federal prison sentence, meaning the two sentences will be served at the same time rather than consecutively. As part of the state plea agreement, prosecutors dismissed two additional first-degree aggravated robbery charges involving a separate July 2022 incident. Prosecutors also dismissed a separate felony financial transaction card fraud case filed against Walker in 2021.
The state and federal proceedings involved different criminal charges, but court records show several connections between the investigations, including Walker's July 6, 2022, arrest in Maplewood, the recovery of a stolen handgun and the unresolved state felony charges that formed part of the basis for his federal firearm prosecution.
Federal Investigation Connected Walker to Multiple Armed Carjackings
According to the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Minnesota, Walker participated in a series of armed carjackings involving multiple victims between February 2021 and June 2022. Federal prosecutors said Walker and other individuals used firearms, threats of violence, and intimidation to take vehicles from their owners.
Walker ultimately pleaded guilty on November 26, 2024, to one count of aiding and abetting carjacking and one count of receiving a firearm while under indictment for a felony. In his federal plea agreement, Walker also admitted involvement in three additional carjackings that were considered as part of the federal case.
February 10, 2021 — Volkswagen Atlas Carjacking
According to Walker's federal plea agreement, he and other individuals took a black 2019 Volkswagen Atlas from a victim on February 10, 2021. The group arrived in a previously stolen vehicle.
One of Walker's associates allegedly threatened the victim with a firearm and demanded the keys to the Volkswagen. Walker and the other individuals then left in the stolen SUV.
Federal court documents state that when investigators arrested Walker the following day, they found the Volkswagen's keys in his pocket.
February 11, 2021 — Mazda 3 Carjacking
The following day, Walker and others participated in another carjacking involving a gray 2015 Mazda 3. According to the plea agreement, the group approached two victims after arriving in a previously stolen vehicle.
One of Walker's associates pointed a firearm at the victims while Walker demanded one victim's cellphone and wallet. The items were taken from inside the Mazda before another participant drove away. Walker and an accomplice subsequently fled from police during a pursuit.
Walker was apprehended while hiding from officers, and investigators recovered one victim's cellphone from his pocket.
June 24, 2022 — Nissan Rogue Carjacking
More than a year later, Walker participated in another armed carjacking involving a gray 2021 Nissan Rogue. According to the federal plea agreement, Walker and another individual confronted the victim while both were armed with handguns.
The two demanded the contents of the victim's pockets, and the victim surrendered them. They then took the Nissan Rogue.
This incident occurred four days before the June 28 West St. Paul armed robbery that ultimately resulted in Walker's October 2026 state prison sentence.
June 30, 2022 — Toyota Highlander Carjacking
The federal conviction for carjacking arose from a June 30, 2022, incident involving a black 2021 Toyota Highlander. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Walker and two other individuals approached the vehicle's owner as the victim walked from the SUV toward an apartment building.
The victim attempted to escape but tripped while fleeing. Walker then struck the victim on the left side of the head with a handgun. Federal court documents state that Walker demanded the victim's belongings, including items from the victim's pockets. When the victim surrendered the keys, Walker drove away in the Toyota Highlander.
The incident became the basis for the federal carjacking conviction, which carried a maximum statutory prison sentence of 15 years.
July 2022 Arrest Led to Federal Firearm Investigation
The state and federal investigations intersected on July 6, 2022, when law enforcement officers located Walker in Maplewood. According to an affidavit filed by FBI Special Agent Michael Lemmage, Maplewood police officers and Ramsey County sheriff's deputies located a stolen blue Chevrolet Captiva in a parking ramp.
Walker was sitting in the driver's seat while two other individuals slept inside the vehicle. As officers approached, Walker allegedly awakened, rammed a nearby squad car, and fled in the Chevrolet. Officers pursued the vehicle as Walker drove onto public roads, weaving between lanes before colliding with another vehicle.
Walker exited the Chevrolet and fled on foot before being apprehended. Officers also arrested the two passengers after a foot pursuit. Investigators subsequently recovered a Springfield Armory Hellcat 9mm handgun lying on the ground just outside the driver's door of the Chevrolet. According to federal investigators, the handgun had previously been reported stolen from Minneapolis. Officers also located two cellphones beneath the driver's seat. One displayed a photograph of a man matching Walker's description pointing a tan-and-black handgun equipped with a laser.
On July 7, 2022, a Saint Paul police detective and FBI investigators interviewed Walker at the Ramsey County Adult Detention Center. According to the affidavit, Walker initially expressed reluctance to discuss the handgun but later told investigators he had purchased it from an unidentified individual in Minneapolis approximately one day before his arrest.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension subsequently examined DNA evidence collected from the handgun. Federal court records state that the DNA findings did not exclude Walker as a contributor. The firearm became central to a federal criminal investigation because Walker was already facing multiple felony charges in Minnesota courts when he obtained it.
Federal Charges Filed in January 2024
On January 9, 2024, federal prosecutors filed a criminal complaint against Walker alleging violations of federal firearm laws. The complaint charged him with receiving a firearm while under indictment for a felony and possessing a firearm after a qualifying mental health commitment.
A subsequent federal indictment filed January 30, 2024, identified several state felony prosecutions that were pending when Walker allegedly received the handgun, including aggravated robbery, motor vehicle theft, fleeing police in a motor vehicle and financial transaction card fraud. Among those pending charges was the December 2021 Dakota County financial transaction card fraud case, which would later be dismissed as part of Walker's October 2026 state plea agreement.
The federal indictment alleged that Walker received the Springfield Hellcat handgun around July 5, 2022, despite knowing he was under indictment for felony offenses. The indictment also included a separate firearm possession allegation related to a prior mental health commitment. Walker was not ultimately convicted on that charge.
After a January 17, 2024, federal detention hearing, U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Cowan Wright found probable cause for the firearm charges. The judge ordered Walker detained pending further proceedings, citing the risk that he would fail to appear in court because of an outstanding Dakota County warrant.
Federal Judge Sentenced Walker to 70 Months in March 2025
On November 26, 2024, Walker pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to receiving a firearm while under indictment for a felony and aiding and abetting carjacking.
The federal plea agreement also documented Walker's admitted involvement in three additional armed carjackings, although those incidents did not result in separate convictions under the final federal judgment.
On March 24, 2025, U.S. District Judge Katherine M. Menendez sentenced Walker to two concurrent prison terms:
70 months in federal prison for aiding and abetting carjacking.
60 months in federal prison for receiving a firearm while under indictment for a felony.
Because the sentences run concurrently, the controlling federal prison term is 70 months, or five years and 10 months. Walker was also sentenced to three years of federal supervised release following imprisonment. The court ordered him to pay a $200 special assessment and comply with several conditions of supervision, including restrictions on possessing firearms, substance abuse assessment and testing, a mental health evaluation, and restrictions on contacting victims without permission. The federal judgment, filed March 28, 2025, also specified that Walker's prison terms would run concurrently with future sentences in pending state criminal cases. The court dismissed the remaining counts in the federal superseding indictment on the government's motion.
The Saint Paul Police Department, Minneapolis Police Department, Hennepin County Sheriff's Office, and Ramsey County Sheriff's Office investigated the case, with assistance from the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorneys William C. Mattessich and Mary Riverso prosecuted the federal case.
Dakota County Robbery Involved Victim Threatened at Gunpoint
While Walker's federal prosecution involved carjackings and firearm offenses, his October 2026 state sentence stems from a separate armed robbery in West St. Paul.
According to a Dakota County criminal complaint filed July 11, 2022, West St. Paul police responded to an armed robbery outside an apartment complex at approximately 6:57 a.m. on June 28, 2022. The victim reported that he was sitting in his vehicle when another vehicle pulled alongside him.
Two individuals exited the suspect vehicle and approached him. One suspect allegedly pressed a handgun against the victim's cheek while the other removed cash, bank cards, and credit cards from his pockets. The armed suspect then threatened to kill the victim unless he provided the PIN for his bank card.
After obtaining the information, both suspects fled in their vehicle. The victim followed them to a nearby bank, where the suspects attempted to use his stolen bank card at a drive-through ATM. Investigators obtained surveillance footage that allegedly showed Walker driving the suspect vehicle and attempting to use the victim's bank card.
The footage also showed Kourvoisier Vante Robledo sitting in the front passenger seat counting cash, according to prosecutors.
Additional Robbery Reported July 6, 2022
Eight days later, West St. Paul police responded to another armed robbery involving two victims who were sitting inside a vehicle parked along a residential street. According to the complaint, Walker and Robledo approached the vehicle, pointed a firearm at the occupants, and stole cash and other personal belongings.
Surveillance footage allegedly captured the encounter and showed Walker pointing a firearm at another individual on the street. Authorities later took both Walker and Robledo into custody in Maplewood that morning. Walker was originally charged with three counts of first-degree aggravated robbery stemming from the June 28 and July 6 incidents.
The two charges associated with the July 6 incident were ultimately dismissed as part of his state plea agreement.
October 2026 Plea Agreement Resolves State Charges
On July 13, 2026, Walker signed a petition to plead guilty to one count of first-degree aggravated robbery. The agreement called for a 68-month prison sentence, dismissal of the remaining two robbery charges, and dismissal of a separate 2021 financial transaction card fraud case. The agreement also specified that the state prison sentence would run concurrently with Walker's existing federal sentence, with the stated intention of avoiding additional incarceration beyond his federal prison term.
On October 7, Dakota County District Court Judge Ann M. Offermann imposed the agreed-upon 68-month sentence. An amended sentencing order filed October 8 confirmed that the sentence would run concurrently with Walker's federal prison sentence. The court also awarded Walker 817 days of credit for time already served and ordered him to pay $800 in restitution, shared with a co-defendant identified in a Dakota County court file. The court waived an additional $155 in fees.
Although Walker's state sentence is two months shorter than his 70-month federal sentence, the documents do not establish an anticipated release date. His eventual release will depend on applicable federal and state custody calculations, sentence credits, and correctional requirements.
Separate 2021 Credit Card Fraud Case Dismissed
The state plea agreement also resolved a separate felony financial transaction card fraud prosecution filed against Walker in December 2021. According to that criminal complaint, a woman reported being robbed outside her Saint Paul apartment building on May 8, 2021. The victim told police that an individual forcibly grabbed her purse, pushed her to the ground, and fled with her belongings.
Less than an hour later, her stolen credit card was used at two West St. Paul retailers. Investigators documented a $1,485 purchase at Walmart and a $1,352 purchase at Target, totaling $2,837 in unauthorized transactions. Surveillance footage from a nearby laundromat showed a purple Chevrolet HHR traveling through the area shortly after the robbery. Police later connected Walker to the vehicle.
During a May 28, 2021, interview, Walker allegedly admitted to using credit cards obtained through robberies to purchase Apple products that were subsequently given to another person to sell. He also reportedly identified himself in surveillance footage showing a suspect leaving the West St. Paul Walmart after using the victim's stolen card.
Prosecutors charged Walker with felony financial transaction card fraud involving property valued at more than $2,500. That charge was among the pending state felony cases referenced in the federal firearm prosecution. However, on October 7, 2026, Dakota County District Court formally dismissed the financial transaction card fraud case pursuant to Walker's plea agreement in the 2022 aggravated robbery case.
The dismissal means Walker was not convicted of the 2021 financial transaction card fraud charge.
State and Federal Sentences Now Run Concurrently
At the October 2026 sentencing, Walker's Dakota County aggravated robbery case was resolved alongside his previously completed federal prosecution. The federal judgment imposed a 70-month prison sentence for carjacking and a concurrent 60-month sentence for receiving a firearm while under felony indictment. The Dakota County court subsequently imposed a concurrent 68-month sentence for aiding and abetting first-degree aggravated robbery.
The federal court had already authorized its sentence to run concurrently with forthcoming state sentences, and the amended Dakota County sentencing order expressly incorporated that arrangement. The two additional state aggravated robbery charges and the separate 2021 financial transaction card fraud case were dismissed under the negotiated state plea agreement.
Walker will also serve three years of federal supervised release after imprisonment, as required by the federal judgment. The court documents reviewed do not establish Walker's current correctional facility or projected release date.
Sources: Minnesota Judicial Branch, Dakota County District Court, First Judicial District, State of Minnesota v. Ricardo Rydell Walker, Criminal Complaint filed July 11, 2022; Petition to Enter Plea of Guilty filed July 13, 2026; Sentencing Order filed October 7, 2026; and Amended Sentencing Order filed October 8, 2026. Criminal Complaint filed December 7, 2021, and Order for Dismissal filed October 7, 2026.
Federal Sources: United States District Court, District of Minnesota, United States v. Ricardo Rydell Walker Jr., Federal Criminal Complaint and FBI Affidavit filed January 9, 2024; Indictment filed January 30, 2024; Plea Agreement and Sentencing Stipulations filed November 26, 2024; Amended Sentencing Minutes dated March 24, 2025; and Judgment in a Criminal Case filed March 28, 2025. Federal Detention Order, filed January 23, 2024.
Additional Sources: United States Attorney's Office, District of Minnesota, Ramsey County Man Pleads Guilty to Illegal Possession of Firearm and Carjacking, updated November 27, 2024; and Ramsey County Carjacker Sentenced to Over 5 Years in Prison, updated March 24, 2025.
Editor's Note: This article is based on official state and federal court records and statements from the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Minnesota. Criminal allegations that did not result in convictions are distinguished from offenses to which Walker pleaded guilty. Dismissing charges under a plea agreement does not constitute a finding of guilt on those charges.
Written by: Will Wight
