Alison J. Ramsdell U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota
Alison J. Ramsdell U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota
A Rapid City man has been sentenced to federal prison after being convicted of receiving a firearm while under indictment. U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler sentenced Terrance Drapeaux, 31, to one year and three months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Drapeaux was also ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Drapeaux was indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2025 for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and receipt of a firearm while under indictment. He pleaded guilty on May 19, 2025.
According to authorities, law enforcement officers found Drapeaux with an active warrant for his arrest on December 4, 2024. During the arrest, he resisted and was discovered to have a firearm in his pocket. At that time, Drapeaux had already been charged elsewhere with a felony crime that was still pending. Federal law prohibits individuals charged with crimes punishable by more than one year in prison from receiving firearms.
"This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). Through PSN, the District of South Dakota seeks to bring together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone," according to U.S. Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell.
The investigation involved the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Rapid City Police Department, and Pennington County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Schroeder prosecuted the case.
Drapeaux was immediately remanded into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service.
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