A man from Playa Del Rey, California, has been sentenced to federal prison for making false statements while purchasing firearms in South Dakota. U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier sentenced Jacob Barba, 39, to one year and three months in prison, followed by two years of supervised release. Barba was also ordered to pay a $300 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund and a $5,000 fine. In addition, he must forfeit seven firearms.
Barba was indicted by a federal grand jury in May 2024 on three counts of making false statements during the purchase of a firearm. He pleaded guilty on November 3, 2025.
According to court documents, between December 2023 and March 2024, Barba leased a small storage closet within a commercial building in Rapid City but did not live there or use it for any legitimate purpose. He used this address as his residential address to obtain fraudulent South Dakota identification documents—including a driver’s license, concealed carry permit, and hunting license—by claiming the storage closet was an apartment.
Barba then used these documents to buy seven firearms in South Dakota while claiming residency at the storage closet’s address. However, he actually lived in California with his wife and operated a business there. During trips to South Dakota—where he stayed at Airbnb locations—he purchased firearms that he later transported back to California.
The investigation also found that Barba helped other individuals who did not reside or work in South Dakota make it appear as though they lived there for tax purposes.
“At bottom, this was a residency scam run by a California man pretending to live in a small storage closet in Rapid City,” said U.S. Attorney Ron Parsons. “The lengths to which some will go to skirt the law and cheat the public never cease to surprise.”
The case is part of Operation Take Back America—a nationwide initiative led by the Department of Justice that targets illegal immigration and transnational criminal organizations while aiming to reduce violent crime through coordinated efforts like Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) and Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs). The District of South Dakota participates in PSN by bringing together law enforcement agencies and communities with the goal of reducing gun violence.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benjamin Patterson and Benjamin Schroeder prosecuted it.
