Rapid City Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Illegal Possession of Firearm and Ammunition
United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition by a Prohibited Person was sentenced on March 7, 2022, by Judge Jeffrey L. Viken, U.S. District Court.
Marcos Bear Shield, age 26, was sentenced to two 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.
Bear Shield was indicted by a federal grand jury on March 18, 2021, and pleaded guilty on November 5, 2021. The conviction stems from Bear Shield, a previously convicted felon who is prohibited from possessing firearms, knowingly possessing a Smith & Wesson, model 442 Centennial Airweight, .38 Smith & Wesson Special caliber, double-action revolver and .38 Special caliber ammunition, which was found after Bear Shield came into contact with law enforcement in May 2020 at Rapid City.
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.
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Rapid City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson prosecuted the case.
Bear Shield was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
