Sioux Falls Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Possessing Firearm While Prohibited as a Felon and Drug User

SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court, has sentenced a Sioux Falls, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person.  The sentencing took place on January 12, 2026.

Jamie Perez, 43, was sentenced to 14 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Perez was indicted for Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person by a federal grand jury in November 2024.  He pleaded guilty on October 7, 2025.

On September 28, 2024, Sioux Falls Police found Perez asleep behind the wheel of his running vehicle, stopped on a city street.  The officers later placed Perez under arrest for Driving Under the Influence. The officers then searched Perez’s vehicle and found a scale containing methamphetamine residue and a Smith & Wesson 9MM pistol.  In addition to being a drug user, Perez is prohibited from possessing firearms due to a 2018 felony conviction for Possession of Controlled Substance.

“This defendant was found by the Sioux Falls Police passed out behind the wheel of a running car, high on methamphetamine and in possession of a loaded gun,” said U.S. Attorney Parsons.  “Our streets are immeasurably safer now that he has been shipped off to federal prison.”

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

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

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.