RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Jeffrey L. Viken has sentenced a Black Hawk, South Dakota, man convicted of Distribution of a Controlled Substance and Possession of an Unregistered Firearm. The sentencing took place on April 7, 2023.
Gregory Martin, 35, was sentenced to six years in federal prison on each charge, to be served concurrently, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $200 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Martin was indicted for Distribution of a Controlled Substance and Possession of an Unregistered Firearm by a federal grand jury in March of 2022. He pleaded guilty on December 8, 2022.
In November of 2021, in Box Elder and Black Hawk, Martin knowingly distributed methamphetamine. Additionally, when law enforcement executed a search warrant in December of 2021 at a residence where Martin was staying, he was found in possession of several firearms, including a Mossberg 12-gauge pump-action shotgun with a barrel length of less than 18 inches. The shotgun was not registered to Martin in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record as is required by law.
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 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, and the Mellette County Sheriff's Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson prosecuted the case.
Martin was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.