Alison J. Ramsdell U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell has announced the sentencing of a Rapid City man for illegal firearm possession. U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler sentenced William Janis, 25, to two and a half years in federal prison on July 21, 2025. This will be followed by three years of supervised release, and he is required to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Janis's sentence will run consecutively with his current state custody sentence for a prior drug conviction. He was indicted in February 2025 by a federal grand jury for Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person and pleaded guilty on April 28, 2025.
The incident leading to his arrest occurred in December 2024 when law enforcement responded to reports of Janis yelling outside an apartment complex in Rapid City. Upon contact, officers discovered he had an active warrant and arrested him. Janis admitted to having a firearm in his waistband, which officers then seized—a 9mm pistol. Janis was previously convicted of a felony and knew he was prohibited from possessing firearms under his parole agreement.
This case falls under Operation Take Back America, an initiative by the Department of Justice aimed at combating illegal immigration, cartels, transnational criminal organizations, and violent crime. The operation leverages resources from the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). The PSN program in South Dakota focuses on reducing gun violence through collaboration between law enforcement agencies and communities.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives along with the Rapid City Police Department investigated this case. Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson led the prosecution.
Following his sentencing, Janis was placed into the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
