Ray Steele, Unlawful Possession of a Machinegun, South Dakota 2025
RAPID CITY - In a shocking turn of events, a Lead, South Dakota man has been sentenced to 3½ years in federal prison for Unlawful Possession of a Machinegun.
Ray Steele, 63, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier on July 11, 2025, following a guilty plea to the charges in April 2025.
The indictment, which took place in May 2024, charged Steele with Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person and Unlawful Possession of a Machinegun. It was alleged that between late 2020 and May 2024, Steele, a felon prohibited from possessing firearms, had another person purchase firearms for him and was then building various caliber rifles.
At the same time, Steele was also illegally manufacturing machinegun conversion devices to convert semi-automatic rifles into fully automatic machineguns. Once manufactured and inserted into a rifle, Steele and others would shoot the fully automatic machineguns.
During a search warrant of his residence, law enforcement located six machinegun conversion devices, including one Steele was preparing to ship to an individual in California. Law enforcement also seized numerous firearms belonging to Steele.
Steele was ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund as part of his sentence. He will also be subject to three years of supervised release following his prison term.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Lead Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson prosecuted the case.
Steele was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Key Facts
- State: South Dakota
- Category: Weapons
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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