FEBRUARY 2023:
U.S. Circuit Judge Jonathan A. Kobes, sitting in federal district court in Rapid City, has sentenced (Feb. 1, 2023) a Box Elder man convicted of Possession of an Unregistered Firearm.
The punishment for 52 year old Toby Acevedo is 22 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.
In July 2020, in Rapid City, Acevedo knowingly possessed an illegal shortened rifle, namely a Mossberg International, model 702 Plinkster, .22 Long Rifle caliber, semi-automatic rifle, having a barrel less than 16 inches in length, which was not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record as required.
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.
JULY 2021:
A Rapid City man was charged in federal district court with Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person and Possession of an Unregistered Firearm.
Toby Acevedo, age 50 pleaded not guilty.
The charge relates to Acevedo, previously convicted of a felony and prohibited from possessing firearms, possessing an unregistered, illegally shortened Mossberg International semi-automatic rifle, which was found after Acevedo came into contact with Rapid City Police officers in July 2020.
The maximum penalty if convicted is 10 years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, three years of supervised release, and a $100 assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
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/projectguardian.
The investigation is being conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Rapid City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson is prosecuting the case.
Acevedo was detained pending trial.
Comments