Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Sioux Falls Duo Sentenced to Federal Prison for Making a False Statement in the Acquisition of a Firearm and Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person
SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced two Sioux Falls, South Dakota, men convicted of Making a False Statement in the Acquisition of a Firearm and Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person.
Andrew Robert Gordon, age 38, and Deandre Arnell Burnett, age 23, were indicted for Making a False Statement in the Acquisition of a Firearm and Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person by a federal grand jury in December of 2022. Each defendant pleaded guilty in 2023.
Burnett was sentenced on August 14, 2023, in Sioux Falls, for Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person and ordered to serve three years and one month in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. He was ordered to pay $100 as a statutorily required special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Gordon was sentenced on March 25, 2024, in Sioux Falls, for Making a False Statement in the Acquisition of a Firearm and ordered to serve three years of probation. He was ordered to pay $100 as a statutorily required special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
In September of 2022, Burnett, a convicted felon, sought to purchase a firearm. Gordon agreed to purchase a firearm for Burnett at a premium. The entire transaction was captured on surveillance video of Burnett and Gordon at a licensed federal firearms business in Sioux Falls. Burnett picked out a gun, counted out and handed Gordon the cash, Gordon made the purchase of the firearm, then Gordon handed Burnett the firearm once they both exited the store. This transaction is commonly referred to as a “straw purchase.”
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 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 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Department, and the Sioux Falls Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Ebert prosecuted the case.
Burnett was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service to continue serving his sentence.