Christian Kersten, Firearm Violations, South Dakota 2018

A 30-year-old Eagle Butte man, Christian Kersten, has been charged with firearm violations in South Dakota.

Kersten, 30, was indicted on February 14, 2018, by a federal grand jury for Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person and Possession of a Firearm with an Obliterated Serial Number.

The investigation is being conducted by the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan N. Dilges is prosecuting the case.

Kersten appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on February 16, 2018, and pled not guilty to the indictment.

The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 15 years in custody and/or a $500,000 fine, 6 years of supervised release, and up to $200 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.

The indictment alleges that on January 22, 2018, Kersten, having been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year, being a fugitive from justice, and being an unlawful user of and addicted to a controlled substance, knowingly received and possessed a firearm, which had been shipped and transported in interstate commerce and foreign commerce. Additionally, the manufacturer’s serial number had been obliterated from the firearm.

Kersten was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial. A trial date has not been set.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sd/pr/eagle-butte-man-charged-firearm-violations