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 Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person.

Harold Dooley, age 29, was charged on December 17, 2019. Dooley appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daneta Wollmann on December 23, 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 $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.

The charge relates to Dooley, a previously convicted felon who is prohibited from possessing firearms, unlawfully possessing a semi-automatic pistol in November 2019 at Rapid City. The charge is merely an accusation and Dooley 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 and the Rapid City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson is prosecuting the case.

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

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