DOJ Seal

Department of Justice

U.S. Attorney's Office
District of South Dakota

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, October 24, 2023
Alison J. Ramsdell
, United States Attorney

Rapid City Man Sentenced for Illegal Possession of Firearm

RAPID CITY, S.D. — United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted of Receiving a Firearm While Under Indictment. The sentencing took place on October 19, 2023.

Antonino Alvarez-Resendiz, 36, was sentenced to three years in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Alvarez-Resendiz was indicted for Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance and Receiving a Firearm While Under Indictment by a federal grand jury in January 2022. He pleaded guilty on July 14, 2023.

In December of 2021, in Rapid City, Alvarez-Resendiz, while knowing he was under indictment on felony charges in South Dakota state court, was in possession of a Beretta, .40 caliber Smith & Wesson, which was found after Alvarez-Resendiz came into contact with law enforcement. Alvarez-Resendiz was also found in possession of more than 50 grams of methamphetamine.

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 of Justice 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.

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.

Alvarez-Resendiz was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

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St. Paul Field Division