Tujuane Leno Lowry, Possessing a Firearm as a Prohibited Person, South Dakota 2023

ABERDEEN, SD – Tujuane Leno Lowry, 46, of Aberdeen, South Dakota, is headed to federal prison for seven years after pleading guilty to possessing a firearm as a prohibited person. U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann handed down the sentence on Monday, August 14th, adding three years of supervised release and a $100 assessment for the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

The case unfolded after Lowry was caught on video last June – June 18, 2022, to be exact – brazenly displaying a handgun pulled from a white tube sock. The footage didn’t just show a weapon; it also showed Lowry using methamphetamine. As a convicted felon, Lowry was legally barred from owning or possessing any firearms. The indictment came down in August 2022, and he entered a guilty plea on May 24th of this year.

But the story gets grimmer. The handgun Lowry was flaunting wasn’t just illegally in his possession; it was stolen. Aberdeen Police Department officers recovered the weapon, tracing it back to its rightful owner. The ATF joined the investigation, solidifying the federal charges. This wasn’t just a simple gun violation; it was a confluence of felony status, drug use, and stolen property, painting a picture of a dangerous individual.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Meghan N. Dilges and Carl Thunem drove the prosecution, building a case based on the damning video evidence and the weapon’s provenance. Lowry was immediately taken into custody by U.S. Marshals following the sentencing, ending his freedom and beginning his seven-year stretch behind bars. This conviction serves as a stark warning: felons caught with firearms will face serious federal consequences.

Federal officials are framing this case as a win for Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a broad initiative aiming to reduce violent crime and gun violence by uniting law enforcement at all levels with the communities they serve. The Department of Justice launched a strengthened version of PSN in May 2021, emphasizing community trust, prevention programs, focused enforcement, and measurable results. Lowry’s sentence is presented as a direct outcome of those efforts.

While the feds tout PSN’s success, the reality on the streets of Aberdeen – and across the nation – remains grim. Lowry’s case is just one example of the ongoing struggle to keep guns out of the hands of those who would misuse them. The seven-year sentence provides a temporary reprieve for the community, but the underlying issues of crime, drug use, and illegal firearms continue to plague the city. The question remains: will this conviction truly make Aberdeen safer, or is it merely a band-aid on a much deeper wound?

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