Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Court Chief Judge Robert A. Lange has sentenced a Hastings, Nebraska, man convicted of Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person. The sentencing took place on September 5, 2023.

Joaquin Cervantes, 39, was sentenced to five years in federal prison, follow by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Cervantes was indicted for Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person by a federal grand jury in May of 2023. He pleaded guilty on June 16, 2023.

The conviction stems from Cervantes, a previously convicted felon who is prohibited from possessing firearms, knowingly being in possession of a Remington semi-automatic rifle in Rapid City, South Dakota, in March of 2023.

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 Sarah B. Collins prosecuted the case.

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