Mission Man Sentenced for Possession of an Unregistered Firearm

PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court, has sentenced a Mission, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession of an Unregistered Firearm. The sentencing took place on July 22, 2024.

Mikel Swift Hawk, a/k/a Mikal Swift Hawk, age 25, was sentenced to three years and six 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.

Swift Hawk was indicted by a federal grand jury in February of 2023. He pleaded guilty on April 4, 2024.

The conviction stems from an incident that occurred on November 26, 2022, in Mission, South Dakota, within the boundaries of the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation. On that date, Swift Hawk was a passenger in a vehicle that was involved in a traffic stop. Law enforcement officers located a short shotgun in the vehicle, which Swift Hawk admitted to possessing. The short shotgun had a barrel of less than eighteen inches in length and was not registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record. Swift Hawk will forfeit ownership of the firearm to the United States.

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.

This case was investigated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson prosecuted the case.   

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