Mitchell Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Illegal Possession of Firearm
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a Mitchell, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person was sentenced on May 12, 2022, by Judge Jeffrey L. Viken, U.S. District Court.
Mason Means, age 23, was sentenced to 18 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.
Means was indicted by a federal grand jury on October 21, 2021, and pleaded guilty on December 3, 2021. The charge stems from Means, a previously convicted felon who is prohibited from possessing firearms, illegally possessing a Cobra, model CA-380, .380 caliber, semi-automatic pistol, which was found after Means came into contact with law enforcement in March 2021 in Pine Ridge.
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 Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson prosecuted the case.
Means was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
