Two Rapid City Men Found Guilty of Carjacking
United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that Moses Crowe, age 26, was found guilty of Carjacking Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury, Discharge of Firearm During a Crime of Violence, and Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person; and Ranson Long Pumpkin, age 33, was found guilty of Carjacking Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury and Discharge of Firearm During a Crime of Violence, following a federal trial in Rapid City, South Dakota. The verdict was returned on November 21, 2019.
The Carjacking charge carries a maximum sentence of 25 years in federal prison, and/or a $250,000 fine, and 5 years of supervised release. The Discharge of a Firearm charge carries a mandatory 10 years up to life in prison, and/or a $250,000 fine, and 5 years of supervised release. The charge of Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison, and/or a $250,000 fine, and 3 years of supervised release. Each charge also carries a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Evidence at trial established that Crowe, Long Pumpkin, and a third person, Saul Crowe, were part of a carjacking of an occupied van on October 13, 2017. They held the victim at gunpoint and drove him to an isolated area north of Rapid City, where they pistol-whipped and beat him. Crowe then fired multiple rounds near the victim, while Long Pumpkin continued to assault him. Bullet casings from the location of the carjacking and beating were forensically matched to a weapon Crowe later abandoned in a vehicle after fleeing police. Prior to trial, Saul Crowe pled guilty to Carjacking Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury and Discharge of a Firearm During a Crime of Violence and was sentenced to 20 years in federal custody.
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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of its renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and local communities to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team; the Rapid City Police Department; the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office; the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation; and the RCPD/PCSO Special Response Team. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Heather Sazama and Gina Nelson prosecuted and tried the case. ATF Special Agent Riley Cook was the lead case agent.
Presentence investigations were ordered and sentencing dates will be set. Crowe and Long Pumpkin were remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending sentencing.
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