North Dakota Woman Sentenced to Two Years in Federal Prison for Possessing a Firearm While a Felon

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Bismarck, North Dakota, woman convicted of Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person. The sentencing took place on January 3, 2025.

Summer Rae Trotter, 34, was sentenced to two years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Trotter was indicted for Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person by a federal grand jury in December 2023. She pleaded guilty on October 23, 2024.

The case stemmed from a Rapid City Police Department officer finding Trotter in possession of a firearm in Rapid City. Trotter is federally prohibited from owning and possessing firearms because she has previous felony convictions.

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 gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Rapid City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Lindrooth prosecuted the case.

Trotter was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.