DOJ Seal

Department of Justice

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

For Immediate Release

Monday, April 18, 2022
Dennis R. Holmes
, United States Attorney
Contact: Ace Crawford

Rapid City Man Sentenced for Prohibited Person in Possession of a Firearm

United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted of Prohibited Person in Possession of a Firearm was sentenced on April 18, 2022, by Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court.

Benny Bacon, age 56, was sentenced to 26 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.

Bacon was indicted by a federal grand jury on February 8, 2021. He pled guilty on January 27, 2022.

The conviction stems from an incident on November 19, 2020, in Todd County, South Dakota, during a traffic stop when law enforcement located a pistol, ammunition, and drug paraphernalia in Bacon’s vehicle. Bacon is a felon and an unlawful user of a controlled substance making him a prohibited person.

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 Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services, Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan Dilges prosecuted the case.

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

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St. Paul Field Division