Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Fairburn, South Dakota, man convicted of Theft of a Firearm was sentenced by Chief Judge Jeffrey L. Viken, U.S. District Court.

Zephaniah Thompson, a/k/a Zephariah Thompson, age 29, was sentenced on June 6, 2019, to 57 months in federal prison, followed by 2 years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

The conviction stems from Thompson aiding and abetting another individual in breaking into The Rooster sporting goods store in Rapid City, and stealing 24 firearms in August 2018. The firearms were taken to the defendant’s residence, and a Dremel tool was utilized to remove serial numbers from several of the firearms. Some of the firearms were later traded for methamphetamine. During the investigation, 22 of the 24 stolen guns were recovered by law enforcement.

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.

The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the South Dakota Department of Criminal Investigation, the Rapid City Police Department, and the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson prosecuted the case.

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

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