Alison J. Ramsdell U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota
A Lower Brule man has been sentenced to 27 months in federal prison for possessing a firearm while using drugs. The U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte delivered the sentence on May 6, 2025.
Stephen Biviano Zapata, aged 28, received a sentence of two years and three months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Zapata was indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2024 and pleaded guilty on January 27, 2025. His conviction is linked to a traffic stop on March 27, 2024, in Lower Brule, located within the Lower Brule Sioux Indian Reservation. During the stop, law enforcement officers found methamphetamine and an AR-style semi-automatic rifle with ammunition in his possession. Zapata admitted to using methamphetamine and tested positive for the drug.
The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which aims to reduce violent crime and gun violence through collaboration between law enforcement agencies and communities. The Department of Justice launched a strategy on May 26, 2021, to strengthen PSN by fostering community trust, supporting violence prevention organizations, setting strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring outcomes.
The investigation involved the FBI, Bureau of Indian Affairs-Office of Justice Services at Lower Brule Agency, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan Dilges prosecuted the case.
Following his sentencing, Zapata was remanded into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service.
