Rosebud man sentenced for transporting stolen gun from Valentine store

ROSEBUD, S.D. -- A Rosebud man has been sentenced for transporting a stolen gun across state lines from Nebraska to South Dakota. Jeremiah Picotte, 24, stole an AR-15 rifle from a federal firearm licensee store in Valentine, Nebraska on December 13, 2023.

 

Security footage posted on Tooth and Whisker Outdoors’ Facebook page shows Picotte going to an area of the store where the store clerk could not see him. He then put the gun down his pant leg, concealing the rifle with his pants and shirt.

After walking out of the store, Picotte transported the gun to the Rosebud Reservation, fully aware of its stolen status. He later arranged for another person to return the gun to law enforcement.

Picotte was sentenced to approximately five months in federal detention and three months of home confinement, followed by two years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that brings together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence. The investigation was conducted by the Valentine Police Department, Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services, FBI, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Tim Maher prosecuted the case.