Rapid City Man Sentenced for Illegal Firearm Possession
RAPID CITY, S.D. — U.S. Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Jeffrey L. Viken has sentenced a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. The sentencing took place on August 4.
Zachary Kirschenmann, 27, was sentenced to three 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. He also forfeited his interest in firearms seized on August 1, 2022.
Kirschenmann was indicted for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person by a federal grand jury in October 2022. He pleaded guilty on April 28.
On August 1, 2022, Rapid City Police Department stopped a vehicle driven by Zachary Kirschenmann. Officers conducted a search of the vehicle and located two firearms, a ballistics vest, several rounds of .45 caliber ammunition, a lockbox with assorted ammunition and firearm optics. A check of the firearms located showed one of the pistols had previously been reported stolen. The two firearms were located in a backpack along with multiple forms of documentation belonging to Kirschenmann. Due to felony convictions in South Dakota, Kirschenmann is not legally allowed to possess firearms.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team, which is a local drug task force comprised of law enforcement from the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, Rapid City Police Department, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, South Dakota Highway Patrol, and the South Dakota National Guard. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn N. Rich prosecuted the case.
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.
Kirschenmann was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals.
###
