RAPID CITY, S.D. – In the last two weeks, the U.S. Attorney’s Office District of South Dakota has been involved in 11 gun cases; some people indicted, and others sentenced to federal prison.
These cases come at a time when the federal government releases its most expansive report on guns and crime in the last 20 years. The report shows a shrinking turnaround between the time a gun was purchased and when it was recovered from a crime scene, indicating firearms bought legally are more quickly being used in crimes around the country.
Though firearm sales may be down from the peak in 2020, NICS data published by the FBI demonstrates that gun purchases are generally continuing to trend upward in the Dakotas. Since the purchase inquiries were first tracked in 1998, annual NICS checks in North Dakota and South Dakota have increased 161%.
The cases are:
Cory Debruyckere, 31 of Rapid City, was indicted Jan. 27 for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. Debruyckere was caught in Rapid City while he had a semi-automatic pistol. With two prior felony convictions, he could not legally own the guns. Debruyckere could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison if convicted. He has pleaded not guilty.
Sabione Bettelyoun, 38 of Rapid City, was sentenced Tuesday to just over three years in prison for possession of a firearm and ammunition by a prohibited person. Bettelyoun had a semi-automatic handgun and ammunition.
Also Tuesday, 28-year-old Majestic Fairbanks of Rapid City was sentenced to five years in federal prison for possession of an unregistered firearm.
Shane McCloskey, 23 of Rapid City, was also sentenced Tuesday for illegal possession of a firearm. McCloskey will spend 18 months in prison after being found with a semi-automatic pistol. McCloskey has a previous felony conviction.
Toby Acevedo, 52 of Box Elder, was sentenced Wednesday to 22 months (about 2 years) in prison after pleading guilty to possession of an unregistered firearm. He was first indicted for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and for an unregistered one. Acevedo had an illegally shortened rifle that was not registered to him.
Zachery Moore, 29 of Modesto, Calif., was sentenced Monday to four years in prison for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. Moore, who is a convicted felon, was found to have a semi-automatic pistol on him in Rapid City
Nathaniel Antonio Hernandez, 22 of Sioux Falls, was indicted for illegal possession of a firearm on Jan. 25. Hernandez was caught in Rapid City with a semi-automatic rifle. Another Sioux Falls man was sentenced Thursday to 11 years in prison for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person; along with drug possession.
Isaiah Beck, 19 of Rosebud, was indicted by a federal grand jury Jan. 25 for possession of an unregistered firearm and prohibited person in possession of a firearm. Beck is accused of having a firearm with a barrel length of less than 18 inches. The firearm was also not registered to him.
On Jan. 27, the DOJ announced the indictment of three men involved in a major burglary of a Dewey gun store where more than 100 firearms were stolen, Weston Clausen, 24, Ford Traversie, 22, and Jalen Ducheneaux, 23.
Michael Wilson, 37 of Rapid City, was sentenced to four years in prison Friday, after he pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. Wilson, a convicted felon, was caught with a semi-automatic pistol.
