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West St. Paul 'Career Criminal' Sentenced To 28 Years

WEST ST. PAUL (WCCO) -- A 56-year-old West St. Paul man, called a "career criminal," has been sentenced to 28 years in prison, the Hennepin County Attorney's Office announced Monday.

Donald Allen Ellis was found guilty of breaking into cars throughout the Twin Cities and stealing credit cards. Then, with and without accomplices, he would go to stores such as Target and buy gift cards with the stolen credit cards.

"Nobody deserves this sentence more than Mr. Ellis," Freeman said. "He has been a thorn in the side of residents and police departments throughout the Twin Cities metro area and it took a lot of hard work by police and especially assistant Hennepin County Attorney Diane Krenz to put him away for a long time. He will be an old man if he gets out."

Ellis recruited drug abusers and the homeless as his accomplices.

Ellis' scheme was discovered in October 2011 during a routine traffic stop.

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