Wakpala Man Sentenced For Felon In Possession Of A Firearm

United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that a Wakpala, South Dakota, man convicted of being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm was sentenced on November 3, 2014, by U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann.

Ronald Moran, age 37, was sentenced to 3 years of probation, 8 months of home confinement, 40 hours of community service, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
         
Moran was indicted by a federal grand jury on May 13, 2014.  He pled guilty on August 4, 2014. 
         
The conviction stems from an incident on January 9, 2014, when a Corson County deputy advised Bureau of Indian Affair (BIA) officers that there was a vehicle pursuit in progress.  The pursuit began in Mobridge and was headed towards the Standing Rock Indian Reservation.  The vehicle, traveling at a speed of at least 90 mph, crossed over to the reservation and came to a stop in the driveway of a private residence in Wakpala.  Upon stopping the vehicle, law enforcement conducted a felony traffic stop, made contact with the driver, who identified himself as Ronald Moran, Sr., and informed the officers that the reason he fled was because he thought he had a warrant in Brown County for a bad check.  Moran further admitted to not stopping for a red light, running two stop signs, and stated he had exceeded 65 or 70 mph during his flight from law enforcement.  The officers noticed a shotgun and a rifle strapped to the headliner of the vehicle.  It was ultimately determined that the firearms belonged to Moran’s boss, but because Moran was a convicted felon, he was prohibited from having firearms in his possession.  Moran admitted he knew the firearms were in the vehicle and that he could not be around firearms due to his felony conviction.
         
This case was investigated by the BIA, Standing Rock Agency.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Troy R. Morley prosecuted the case.