Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a federal grand jury has indicted a Rapid City, South Dakota, man for Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person and Possession of an Unregistered Firearm.

Jonah Burning Breast, age 29, was indicted in February of 2023. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daneta Wollmann on March 8, 2023, and pleaded not guilty to the Indictment.

The maximum penalty upon conviction is 15 years in federal custody 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 charges stem from Burning Breast knowingly possessing an unregistered and short-barreled 12- gauge, pump-action shotgun in Rapid City in January of 2023. Burning Breast has a prior felony conviction and, as a result, cannot legally possess firearms.

The charges are merely accusations and Burning Breast is presumed innocent unless and until 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 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.

The investigation is being conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Rapid City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Sazama is prosecuting the case.

Burning Breast was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial. A trial date has not been set.