Sioux Falls Man Sentenced to 2 Years in Federal Prison for Possessing a Firearm as a Felon

SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Sioux Falls, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person.  The sentencing took place on November 3, 2025.

John Michael Law, age 42, was sentenced to two years in federal prison, three years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.

Law was indicted by a federal grand jury in October 2024.  He pleaded guilty on August 19, 2025.

On April 3, 2023, Sioux Falls police officers encountered Law during a traffic stop.  Officers discovered that Law was in possession of a .380 pistol and approximately two grams of methamphetamine.  Law was previously convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence and was not lawfully permitted to possess a firearm because of that conviction and because he was an illegal user of methamphetamine.

This case was investigated by the Sioux Falls Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Hodges prosecuted the case.

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. 

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