Pine Ridge Man Sentenced to Seven Years on Firearm Charge

Acting United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Pine Ridge, South Dakota, man convicted of Use and Brandishing of a Firearm During the Commission of a Crime of Violence was sentenced on August 24, 2021, by Judge Jeffrey L. Viken, U.S. District Court.

Thomas Richards, age 23, was sentenced to seven years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund and $320 in restitution to the Corner Pantry convenience store.

Richards was indicted by a federal grand jury on March 10, 2021, and pleaded guilty on May 14, 2021.   In February 2021, Richards used a pistol to rob a Corner Pantry convenience store in Rapid City by brandishing the firearm at the store clerk.

The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Rapid City Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson prosecuted the case.

Richards was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.