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Press Release

Mission Man Convicted of Possession of Stolen Firearms

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of South Dakota

United States Attorney Ronald A. Parsons, Jr. announced that Jesse J. Waln, age 32, of Mission, South Dakota, was found guilty of two counts of Possession of Stolen Firearms as a result of a federal jury trial in Pierre, South Dakota. 

The charges each carry a maximum penalty of up to 10 years in custody and/or a $250,000 fine, 3 years of supervised release, and a $200 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.  

Waln was indicted by a federal grand jury on January 19, 2017. 

During the weekend of November 11 to 13, 2016, several co-defendants broke into a home located in Mission, and stole many household items, clothes, tools, power tools, an ATV, firearms, and ammunition.

Waln received and possessed a stolen Benelli SuperNova 12 Gauge Shotgun, which he later hid in a tree line.  He also received a stolen Savage .204 caliber rifle that was traded for methamphetamine and recovered at a known drug house.  Waln admitted he was also a regular user of methamphetamine.

The jury found the defendant knew the firearms were stolen and that the defendant possessed each of the firearms with such knowledge.

In addition, on the morning of the first day of the jury trial, the defendant admitted he burglarized another home in Mission in May 2016.  Regarding that offense, he was convicted of First Degree Burglary and Larceny for working with others to purloin property from his neighbor’s house, and that he entered and stole a valuable Michael Jordan autographed poster.

This case was investigated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Meghan N. Dilges and Daniel C. Nelson prosecuted the case.

A presentence investigation was ordered and a sentencing hearing was set for March 19, 2018, when Waln and several of his crime partners will be sentenced.  Waln was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

Updated January 10, 2018

Topics
Firearms Offenses
Indian Country Law and Justice