Department of Justice

United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Huron, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person was sentenced on April 11, 2022, by U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier.

Yeh Thwin, age 23, was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.

Thwin was indicted by a federal grand jury on April 6, 2021. He pled guilty on January 19, 2022.

The conviction stemmed from an incident on November 12, 2020, when the Huron Police Department came to Thwin’s residence to conduct a follow-up on a stolen firearm. They found the stolen firearm, a Glock GmbH, model 22C Gen 3, .40 Smith and Wesson caliber, semi-automatic pistol in Thwin’s bedroom. Thwin had previously been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year. On that same date, Thwin knew that he had previously been convicted of a felony and also knew that he was prohibited from possessing any firearms.

The firearm had been shipped and transported in interstate commerce before he possessed it.

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.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Huron Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey C. Clapper prosecuted the case.

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

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