Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

Acting United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person was sentenced on September 7, 2021, by U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier.

Darius Emery, age 33, was sentenced to two years and three months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Emery was indicted by a federal grand jury on January 12, 2021. He pleaded guilty on May 7, 2021. The conviction stems from Emery, previously convicted of a felony and prohibited from possessing firearms, possessing a semi-automatic pistol and a double-action revolver, which were found after Emery came into contact with Rapid City Police Department officers in August 2019 and June 2020.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Rapid City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson prosecuted the case.

Emery was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.