SIOUX FALLS, SD – Lesa Lynn Zafft, 54, of Sioux Falls, is headed back to a cell after receiving a 37-month federal sentence for illegally peddling a firearm and drugs. U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier handed down the sentence on March 20, 2017, adding to Zafft’s already mounting legal troubles.
Zafft, already facing state charges, will serve the 37 months concurrently with those sentences, followed by three years of supervised release. She was also slapped with a $100 fine payable to the Federal Crime Victims Fund, and forced to forfeit the .22 caliber handgun central to the case. The indictment, returned by a federal grand jury on October 4, 2016, charged Zafft with being a Felon in Possession of Firearm, a charge she admitted to on December 27, 2016.
The bust went down June 16, 2016, when Zafft brazenly sold a .22 caliber revolver, 45 rounds of ammunition, and a quantity of methamphetamine to an undercover officer for a measly $400. This wasn’t a simple transaction; Zafft was already a convicted felon, having been found guilty of felony drug possession in 2015, a conviction that explicitly barred her from owning or possessing any firearms. She disregarded that law, and now she’s paying the price.
Federal prosecutors didn’t pull punches. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey C. Clapper successfully argued for the sentence, highlighting Zafft’s disregard for the law and the danger she posed by putting a weapon in the hands of who-knows-who. The case was a joint effort between the Sioux Falls Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), demonstrating a coordinated push to keep guns out of the hands of criminals.
The ATF and Sioux Falls PD built a solid case, and the evidence clearly showed Zafft’s willingness to profit from illegal activity, even with a prior felony conviction hanging over her head. It’s a stark reminder that possessing a firearm as a convicted felon is a serious federal offense, carrying significant penalties.
Zafft was immediately remanded to state custody to finish serving her existing state sentence. Once that’s complete, she’ll begin her 37-month federal stint. This case serves as a warning: in South Dakota, and across the nation, those who attempt to circumvent gun laws and engage in illegal arms dealing will face the full force of the law.
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Key Facts
- State: South Dakota
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Weapons|Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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