A man who sold stolen firearms and possessed a sawed-off shotgun was sentenced on August 31, 2011, to four years in federal prison.

Gavin Dana Vernon Miller, Jr., age 19, from Sioux City, received the prison term after an April 4, 2011, guilty plea to one count of sale, and aiding and abetting the sale of stolen firearms and ammunition and one count of possession of a sawed-off shotgun.

In a plea agreement, Miller admitted that in November of 2009, he and three other individuals committed a burglary of a business in Jefferson, South Dakota. The four entered the business and stole approximately 20 guns. Later, Miller witnessed one of the other individuals cut the barrel off of one of the stolen shotguns. Miller then sold the sawed-off shotgun to an undercover law enforcement agent.

Miller was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Mark W. Bennett. Miller was sentenced to 48 months’ imprisonment. A special assessment of $200 was imposed. He must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

Miller is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin Fletcher and was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Sioux City, Iowa, Police Department. This case is being prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a cooperative local, state and federal program aimed at the enhanced prosecution of gun crimes.

Court file information is available at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is CR10-4071.

 

 

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