A man from Playa Del Rey, California, has been sentenced to federal prison for making false statements while purchasing firearms. Jacob Barba, 39, received a sentence of one year and three months in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay a $300 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund and a $5,000 fine. Additionally, Barba must forfeit seven firearms.
Barba was indicted by a federal grand jury in May 2024 on three counts of making false statements during the purchase of a firearm. He pleaded guilty on November 3, 2025. The sentencing was handed down by U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier on February 13, 2026.
According to court documents, between December 2023 and March 2024, Barba leased a small storage closet in a commercial building in Rapid City but used the address as his residential address despite not living there. He never used the space for any legitimate purpose. Using this address, Barba obtained fraudulent South Dakota identification documents—including a driver’s license, concealed carry permit, and hunting license—by claiming that the storage closet was an apartment.
With these documents, Barba purchased seven firearms in South Dakota by falsely stating he was a resident and listing the storage closet as his home address. In reality, he lived in California with his wife and operated a business there. During trips to South Dakota—where he stayed at Airbnb rentals—Barba would buy firearms and take them back to California.
The investigation also revealed that Barba helped other individuals who did not live or work in South Dakota appear as if they were residents for tax purposes.
“At bottom, this was a residency scam run by a California man pretending to live in a small storage closet in Rapid City,” said U.S. Attorney Parsons. “The lengths to which some will go to skirt the law and cheat the public never cease to surprise.”
This case is part of Operation Take Back America—a Department of Justice initiative that combines resources from various agencies such as Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). The program aims to reduce gun violence and combat crime through cooperation between law enforcement agencies and local communities.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benjamin Patterson and Benjamin Schroeder prosecuted it.
