Department of Justice

RAPID CITY - United States 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 Ammunition by a Prohibited Person. The sentencing took place on May 15, 2023.

Travis Maho, 34, was sentenced to five 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.

Maho was indicted for Possession of Ammunition by a Prohibited Person and Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance by a federal grand jury in September of 2022. He pleaded guilty on February 24, 2023.

In June of 2022, in Rapid City, Maho, a previously convicted felon who is prohibited from possessing ammunition, was knowingly in possession of 7.62x54 caliber, .32 caliber, and .45 Auto caliber ammunition, which was found after Maho came into contact with law enforcement. Maho was also in possession of distributable quantities of methamphetamine.

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 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 Benjamin Patterson prosecuted the case.

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