Shaun Shorter, Unlawful Possession of a Firearm, South Dakota 2020

Rapid City Man Charged with Unlawful Possession of a Firearm

Rapid City, SD - Shaun Shorter, age 31, was charged with Possession of an Unregistered Firearm in federal district court. The charge relates to Shorter possessing a prohibitively-shortened 12 gauge shotgun in April 2019 at Rapid City that was not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, as required.

The maximum penalty upon conviction is 10 years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, 3 years of supervised release, and a $100 assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered. Shorter was released pending trial. A trial date has not been set.

The charge is merely an accusation and Shorter is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The investigation is being conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Rapid City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of its renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and local communities to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

Shorter was charged on July 23, 2020. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daneta Wollmann on August 12, 2020, and pleaded not guilty to the charge. The case is ongoing.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sd/pr/rapid-city-man-charged-unlawful-possession-firearm-6