United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that two Rapid City, South Dakota, men were charged in federal district court with Theft of a Firearm, Possession of Stolen Firearms, and Use of a Firearm During a Drug Trafficking Crime.

Matthew Keifer, age 30, and Zephaniah Thompson, age 28, were charged on August 24, 2018.  Keifer and Thompson appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daneta Wollmann on August 27, 2018, and pleaded not guilty to the charges.  The penalty upon conviction is a mandatory minimum of 5 years up to life in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, 5 years supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.  Restitution may also be ordered.

The charges relate to Keifer and Thompson stealing approximately 24 firearms from The Rooster on August 22, 2018, at Rapid City.  The charges are merely an accusation and Keifer and Thompson are 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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

The investigation is being conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the South Dakota Department of Criminal Investigation, the Rapid City Police Department, and the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Ben Patterson is prosecuting the case.

Keifer and Thompson were detained pending a preliminary hearing.  A trial date has not been set.