Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that a Sioux Falls, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person was sentenced on November 18, 2022, by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey L. Viken.

Sage Yellow Thunder, 31, was sentenced to 48 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Yellow Thunder was indicted for Possession of a Firearm by a federal grand jury in June of 2021. He pleaded guilty on July 29, 2022.

In January of 2021, in Rapid City, Yellow Thunder, a previously convicted felon who is prohibited from possessing firearms, knowingly possessed a Remington Arms Company Incorporated, model 1911 R1, .45 AUTO caliber, semi-automatic pistol, which was found after Yellow Thunder came into contact with law enforcement.

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

Yellow Thunder was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.