Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

Acting United States Attorney Dennis Holmes announced that two Pierre, South Dakota, men have been indicted by a federal grand jury for Prohibited Person in Possession of Firearm.

Guillermo Arceo-Estrada, age 23, and Eduardo Velasquez-Padilla, a/k/a Eduardo Velazquez-Padilla, age 30, were indicted on January 12, 2021. Both men appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on March 9, 2021, and both pled not guilty to the Indictment.

The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 10 years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, three years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.

The Indictment alleges that on November 5, 2020, in Pierre, Arceo-Estrada and Velasquez-Padilla, then being aliens illegally and unlawfully in the United States, did knowingly possess several firearms.

The charges are merely accusations and Arceo-Estrada and Velasquez-Padilla are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

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 is being conducted by the Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan N. Dilges is prosecuting the case.

Arceo-Estrada and Velasquez-Padilla were released on bond pending trial. A trial date has not been set.

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