A Rapid City man convicted of Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person, Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance, and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of Drug Trafficking Crime has been sentenced in federal court.
On the five charges combined, 45 year old Jonathan Blacksmith was sentenced to a total of 16 years and three months in federal prison. Blacksmith was also sentenced to four years of supervised released and was ordered to pay a total of $500 in special assessments to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Evidence at trial established Blacksmith, knowing he was a convicted felon, possessed a Glock 9mm pistol in Kyle on February 17, 2017, and a .40 caliber pistol in Rapid City in January 2017. Blacksmith distributed 50 grams or more of methamphetamine in Kyle in February 2017. In January 2017, Blacksmith distributed methamphetamine in Rapid City while in possession of the .40 caliber pistol.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. This case is also part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. For more information about Project Guardian, please see: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/attorney-general-william-p-barr-announces-launch-project-guardian-nationwide-strategic-plan.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Bureau of Indian Affairs Division of Drug Enforcement, the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety, the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, the Rapid City Police Department, and the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team (“UNET”), which is a local drug task force comprised of various agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Kelderman prosecuted and tried the case.
Blacksmith was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
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