Department of Justice

United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that an Eagle Butte, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession of Firearms by a Drug User was sentenced on April 6, 2020, by Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court.

Jason Farlee, age 31, was sentenced to 83 days time served, 2 years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100. Four of his firearms were also forfeited due to their involvement in the offense.

Farlee was indicted by a federal grand jury on February 13, 2019. He pled guilty on January 15, 2020.

The conviction stemmed from an incident that occurred on October 8, 2018, in Eagle Butte, wherein Farlee was driving a vehicle which was stopped by the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Farlee advised an officer that he had firearms in the vehicle and later consented to a search. Officers found three rifles, a handgun, and multiple items of drug paraphernalia within reach of the driver’s seat. Farlee’s blood was drawn pursuant to a warrant and found to contain 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 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 is also part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. For more information about Project Guardian, please see: https://www.justice.gov/projectguardian.

This case was investigated by the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force. Assistant U.S. Cameron J. Cook prosecuted the case.