Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Pierre, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person was sentenced on November 16, 2020, by Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court.

Nathen Doherty, a/k/a Nathan Doherty, age 22, was sentenced to time served, equaling 38 days, 18 months of supervised release, a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100, and forfeiture of a firearm.

Doherty was indicted by a federal grand jury on December 10, 2019. He pled guilty on September 1, 2020.

The conviction stemmed from an incident that occurred on May 11, 2018, at a house in Pierre, wherein Doherty, knowing he was an unlawful user of a controlled substance, knowingly possessed a Remington Arms Company Incorporated, model 870 Express Super Magnum, 12 gauge, pump-action shotgun, which had been shipped and transported in interstate commerce. The shotgun was found in Doherty’s bedroom along with marijuana, marijuana wax, multiple baggies and a digital scale. Doherty also tested positive for marijuana.

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.

This case is also part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. For more information about Project Guardian, please see: https://www.justice.gov/projectguardian.

This case was investigated by the Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force, the Pierre Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan N. Dilges prosecuted the case.

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