Jeremiah Picotte, Transportation of Stolen Firearm, South Dakota 2024

A 24-year-old man from Rosebud, South Dakota, has been sentenced for transporting a stolen firearm across state lines.

Pierre, SD - Jeremiah Picotte, age 24, was sentenced to approximately five months in federal detention and three months of home confinement, followed by two years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Picotte was convicted of Transporting a Stolen Firearm, a federal crime that carries severe penalties. According to court documents, on December 13, 2023, Picotte visited a federal firearm licensee store in Valentine, Nebraska, where he picked up an AR-15 rifle and concealed it down his pant leg.

He then walked out of the store and took the firearm to the Rosebud Reservation, knowing it was stolen. Picotte later had someone else return the firearm to law enforcement officers.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence in communities. The program brings together law enforcement and community organizations to foster trust and legitimacy, support prevention efforts, and set focused enforcement priorities.

The case was investigated by the Valentine Police Department, Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services, FBI, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tim Maher prosecuted the case.

Picotte was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service to serve his sentence. The case highlights the importance of community-based initiatives in preventing violent crime and gun violence.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sd/pr/rosebud-man-sentenced-transportation-stolen-firearm