Rosebud Man Sentenced for Firearm Charge

Acting United States Attorney Dennis Holmes announced that a Rosebud, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition by a Prohibited Person was sentenced on October 4, 2021, by Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court.

Phillip Gene Beck, age 25, was sentenced to ten months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, a special assessment to the Federal Crime  Victims Fund in the amount of $100, and forfeiture of a handgun and ammunition

Beck was indicted by a federal grand jury on August 11, 2020.  He pled guilty on July 12, 2021.

The conviction stemmed from an incident that occurred on October 21, 2017, in St. Francis, South Dakota.  Beck, an unlawful user of methamphetamine, knowingly possessed a handgun and ammunition.

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. 

This case was investigated by the Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron J. Cook prosecuted the case.

Beck was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.