Source: Office of United States Attorneys
SIOUX FALLS – United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schrier has sentenced a Sioux Falls, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person and Distribution of a Controlled Substance. The sentencing took place on February 10, 2025.
Rickey Eugene Johnson, Jr., 34, was sentenced to six years and three months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $200 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Johnson was indicted for Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person and Distribution of a Controlled Substance by a federal grand jury in May 2024. He pleaded guilty in November 2024.
On May 13, 2024, Johnson was driving a vehicle in Sioux Falls and was stopped by law enforcement and arrested. The officers found a 9 mm handgun in his vehicle. Johnson is prohibited from having firearms based on prior felony convictions. While on pre-trial release in the firearm case, Johnson sold methamphetamine to a confidential informant working with law enforcement on January 17, 2024.
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 gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paige Petersen prosecuted the case.
Johnson was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.