Black Hawk Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Illegal Possession of Firearms
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a Black Hawk, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person was sentenced on May 2, 2022, by Judge Jeffrey L. Viken, U.S. District Court.
Cole Younger, age 33, was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Younger was indicted by a federal grand jury on August 19, 2021, and pleaded guilty on December 3, 2021. The conviction stems from Younger, a previously convicted felon who is prohibited from possessing firearms, illegally possessing a loaded SCCY Industries, model CPX-2, 9x19mm Luger caliber, semi-automatic pistol, which were found after Younger came into contact with law enforcement in June 2021 in Rapid City.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Rapid City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson prosecuted the case.
Younger was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
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