Rapid City Man Sentenced to Over Four Years for Theft of Firearms

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler has sentenced a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted of two counts of Theft of a Firearm. The sentencing took place on April 7, 2025.

Zachary Coats, age 28, was sentenced to four years and two months in federal prison on each count to be served concurrently, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $200 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund and $10,277.67 in restitution.

Coats was indicted on three counts of Theft of a Firearm and one count of Possession of a Stolen Firearm in February 2024. He pleaded guilty to two counts of Theft of a Firearm on January 29, 2025.

In August 2023, at Rapid City, Zachary Coats broke into several local federally licensed firearms dealerships and stole multiple firearms, including a Beretta 12-gauge shotgun, a Benelli 12-gauge shotgun, a USA Military Surplus .30 caliber rifle, and a Stoeger 12-gauge shotgun. When law enforcement identified Zachary Coats as the suspect in the thefts, Coats directed his spouse, Danielle Coats, to remove the firearms from their residence to another family member’s home to prevent law enforcement from finding them in their home. Subsequently, Danielle Coats directed others to again move or dispose of the firearms to prevent law enforcement from recovering them.

Danielle Coats pleaded guilty to Possession of a Stolen Firearm and was sentenced in July 2024 to two years and six months in federal prison.

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. [use if applicable] Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

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

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