Mission Man Sentenced for Possession of Firearms By a Prohibited Person and Wire Fraud

United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Mission, South Dakota, man convicted of two counts of being a Prohibited Person in Possession of a Firearm, and Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, was sentenced on April 15, 2019, by U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange.

Mark Edward O’Leary, III, age 35, was sentenced to 48 months in federal prison on each count to run concurrently, followed by 3 years of supervised release, restitution in the amount of $100,700, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $300.

O’Leary was indicted by a federal grand jury for the Possession of a Firearm charges on August 16, 2017, and on the Wire Fraud charge on February 14, 2018. He pled guilty on January 4, 2019.

The convictions stem from separate incidents. The firearms incident occurred on June 9, 2017, where O’Leary, being an unlawful user of and addicted to a controlled substance, methamphetamine, did knowingly receive and possess 14 firearms. The second incident occurred between February 4, 2011, through June 6, 2017, where O’Leary passed at least 544 checks drawn on a bank account not belonging to him. The checks were used for personal items for O’Leary and the purchases or deposits were not authorized by the owner of the bank account.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of its renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and local communities to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan N. Dilges prosecuted the case.

O’Leary was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.