RAPID CITY — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - South Dakota), published as received.

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a federal grand jury has indicted a Rapid City, South Dakota, man for Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person.

Raymond Contreras, age 28, was indicted in May of 2023. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daneta L. Wollmann on June 9, 2023, and pleaded not guilty to the Indictment.

The maximum penalty upon conviction is 15 years in custody and/or a $250,000 fine, three years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.

The charge relates to Contreras, a previously convicted felon who is prohibited from possessing firearms, knowingly being in possession of a Sporting Arms Manufacturing shotgun in Rapid City in March of 2023.

The charge is merely an accusation and Contreras is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

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.

The investigation is being conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and the Rapid City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah B. Collins is prosecuting the case. 

Contreras was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial. A trial date has not been set.