Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Rapid City, South Dakota, man was charged in federal district court with False Statement During Purchase of a Firearm.

Uriah Lafferty, age 34, was charged on December 17, 2019. Lafferty appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daneta Wollmann on December 27, 2019, and pleaded not guilty to the charge. The maximum penalty upon conviction is 10 years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, 3 years supervised release, and a $100 assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.

The charge relates to Lafferty knowingly making a false written statement in order to purchase a firearm in October 2019 at Rapid City. The charge is merely an accusation and Lafferty is 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 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ben Patterson is prosecuting the case.

Lafferty was detained pending trial. A trial date has not been set.

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