Cassius Farmer Indicted on Federal Firearm Charge

Cassius Farmer, 28, of Mission, South Dakota, is facing federal prison time after being indicted on a charge of Felon in Possession of a Firearm. The indictment, handed down November 9, 2021, by a federal grand jury, alleges Farmer knowingly possessed a firearm on October 21, 2021—despite a prior felony conviction that bars him from owning or handling such weapons.

Federal law enforcement moved swiftly after the alleged offense. Farmer appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on November 16, 2021, where he formally pled not guilty to the charge. He was immediately remanded into the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service, where he remains pending trial. No trial date has been set.

If convicted, Farmer faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. Additional penalties include three years of supervised release, a $100 payment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund, and possible restitution. The charge, though not a violent offense in its commission, carries serious consequences under federal sentencing guidelines.

The case falls under the umbrella of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to combat violent crime. PSN leverages targeted enforcement against repeat and high-risk offenders while coordinating with local prevention and reentry programs. The goal: disrupt criminal patterns before they escalate.

Investigation was conducted jointly by the U.S. Marshals Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). Federal prosecutors view firearm violations by convicted felons as a linchpin in broader violent crime chains—stopping possession, they argue, stops future shootings.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson is prosecuting the case. The charge remains an accusation, and Farmer is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. For now, the case sits in pretrial limbo, another flashpoint in South Dakota’s ongoing battle with illegal gun possession.