California Man Sentenced on Firearm Charge

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Healdsburg, California, man convicted of Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person. The sentencing took place on July 26, 2024.

Steve Tucker, 48, was sentenced to three years and 10 months in federal prison, followed by three of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Tucker was indicted for Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person by a federal grand jury in August of 2023. He pleaded guilty on April 26, 2024.

Tucker, who is a felon and thus prohibited from possessing firearms, was arrested in Rapid City, South Dakota, in March of 2023 with a Jimenez Arms brand .22 caliber semi-automatic handgun. When Tucker was found with the firearm, he gave a false name to law enforcement and had multiple pending arrest warrants.

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, the Rapid City Police Department, and the Custer County Sheriff's Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Lindrooth prosecuted the case.

Tucker was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.