Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that Clyde Aquallo, age 40, of Rosebud, South Dakota, was convicted of Possession of an Unregistered Firearm and Prohibited Person in Possession of a Firearm, following a four-day jury trial in Pierre, South Dakota. The verdict was returned on January 30, 2015.

The jury found Aquallo not guilty of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon, Using and Carrying a Firearm During and In Relation to a Crime of Violence, and Distribution of a Controlled Substance.

The charges of conviction carry a maximum penalty of 10 years of imprisonment and/or a $250,000 fine, and forfeiture of firearms and ammunition.

Aquallo’s convictions arose from incidents that occurred on February 27, 2014, when Aquallo had been using methamphetamine and possessed several firearms at the home where he was residing in Todd County. Among the firearms he possessed was a sawed-off shotgun with a barrel of less than 18 inches in length. Aquallo said he kept the shotgun for a couple of weeks because he was going to fix it for a relative, but the firearm was not lawfully registered to him in in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record. Aquallo also never fixed the sawed-off shotgun.

This case was investigated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U. S. Attorneys Tim Maher and Carrie Sanderson.

A presentence investigation was ordered, and a sentencing date was set for April 20, 2015, at 3:00 pm.

Aquallo was remanded to the custody of the U. S. Marshals Service to await sentencing.