Department of Justice

United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that an Eagle Butte, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession of an Unregistered Firearm was sentenced on June 18, 2019, by U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange.

Devin Dolphus, a/k/a Devin Pretty Weasel, age 19, was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison, 3 years of supervised release, forfeiture of a firearm and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.

Dolphus was indicted by a federal grand jury on March 12, 2019. He pled guilty on April 3, 2019.

The conviction stemmed from an incident that occurred on January 16, 2019. Law enforcement responded to a call of an unknown individual sleeping in a vehicle. Once on scene, law enforcement found and seized a firearm from Dolphus’ vehicle, the firearm had a barrel length of less than 18 inches, and was not registered to Dolphus in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.

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 Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force, Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services and The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan N. Dilges prosecuted the case.

Dolphus was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

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