Department of Justice

RAPID CITY, S.D. — U.S. Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Rapid City, man convicted of Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person. The sentencing took place on Oct. 24.

Jonah Burning Breast, 29, was sentenced to four years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Burning Breast was indicted for the charge by a federal grand jury in February of 2023. He pleaded guilty on Aug. 4.

The conviction stems from Burning Breast, a previously convicted felon who is prohibited from possessing firearms, knowingly being in possession of an O.F. Mossberg & Sons Incorporated 12-gauge, pump-action shotgun in Rapid City in January of 2023.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities and measuring the results.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Rapid City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Knox prosecuted the case.

Burning Breast was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

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