United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person was sentenced on March 4, 2022, by Judge Jeffrey L. Viken, U.S. District Court.
Joshua Clark, age 34, was sentenced to two years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Clark was indicted by a federal grand jury on March 18, 2021, and pleaded guilty on October 13, 2021. The conviction stems from Clark, a previously convicted felon who is prohibited from possessing firearms, knowingly possessing an O.F. Mossberg & Sons Incorporated, model M590A1, 12 Gauge, pump-action shotgun, and a Sturm, Ruger & Company Incorporated, model New Model Single-Six, .22 Long Rifle caliber, single-action revolver, which he had taken from a residence in New Underwood, South Dakota, in November 2020.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson prosecuted the case.
Clark was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.