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Department of Justice

U.S. Attorney's Office
District of South Dakota
Alison J. Ramsdell, United States Attorney
www.justice.gov/usao-sd
For Immediate Release
Wednesday, July 12, 2023

Rapid City Man Sentenced for Illegal Possession of a Firearm

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Jeffrey L. Viken has sentenced a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession of an Unregistered Firearm. The sentencing took place on July 10, 2023.

Ryan Reausaw, age 39, was sentenced to five 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.

Reausaw was indicted for Possession of an Unregistered Firearm by a federal grand jury in November of 2021. He pleaded guilty on May 12, 2023.

In August of 2021, in Rapid City, Reausaw was found by law enforcement to be illegally in possession of a Remington Arms 12-gauge shotgun having a barrel length of less than 18 inches, which was not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record as required by law.

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 gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Rapid City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson prosecuted the case.

Reausaw was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

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