A Sioux Falls man has been sentenced to 14 months in federal prison for possessing a firearm while prohibited as a felon and drug user. The sentencing, announced by U.S. Attorney Ron Parsons, was handed down by Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange on January 12, 2026.
Jamie Perez, age 43, will also serve three years of supervised release following his prison term and must pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Perez was indicted by a federal grand jury in November 2024 and pleaded guilty on October 7, 2025.
According to court records, Sioux Falls Police discovered Perez asleep behind the wheel of his running vehicle on September 28, 2024. Officers arrested him for Driving Under the Influence and found a scale with methamphetamine residue along with a Smith & Wesson 9MM pistol during a search of his car. Due to his status as both a drug user and because of a prior felony conviction from 2018 for Possession of Controlled Substance, Perez is legally barred from possessing firearms.
U.S. Attorney Parsons stated: “This defendant was found by the Sioux Falls Police passed out behind the wheel of a running car, high on methamphetamine and in possession of a loaded gun. Our streets are immeasurably safer now that he has been shipped off to federal prison.”
The investigation was conducted by the Sioux Falls Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Joyce prosecuted the case.
Perez was immediately remanded into custody following sentencing.
The prosecution falls under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence through collaboration between law enforcement agencies and community organizations. The Department launched an updated violent crime reduction strategy for PSN on May 26, 2021 that emphasizes trust-building within communities, supporting violence prevention efforts, focusing enforcement priorities strategically, and tracking outcomes.
