Three South Dakota men convicted of Theft of Firearms from Federal Firearm Licensee and Third-Degree Burglary have been sentenced in US District Court.
Jaylen Bleu Ducheneaux, a/k/a Jaylen Red Bear, age 24, of Eagle Butte was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, restitution, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $200.
Weston Reid Clausen, age 24, of Dupree was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, restitution, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $200.
Ford Whitley Traversie, age 23, of Eagle Butte was sentenced to three years and four months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $200.
All three defendants were ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $20,188 to the victim of this matter, and the restitution was ordered to be paid between the co-defendants.
The convictions stemmed from an incident that occurred during the weekend of August 13 to 15, 2022, when the defendants burglarized Reloaders Corner, a licensed federal firearm retailer in Isabel, South Dakota. Ducheneaux and Clausen planned the burglary while Traversie served as a lookout during the burglary. The three men stole 105 firearms. Some of the firearms were then illegally trafficked to other individuals. The stolen firearms have been recovered in various communities in South Dakota and throughout the Midwest.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the FBI, the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services, and the Dewey County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan N. Dilges prosecuted the case.
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.
Clausen, Ducheneaux, and Traversie were immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
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