Sioux Falls Man Sentenced to 18 Months in Federal Prison for Possessing a Firearm as a Felon

SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court, sentenced a Sioux Falls, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person. The sentencing took place on August 10, 2026.

Uelingatoni Pahulu, 32, was sentenced to one year and six months in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. The court further ordered Pahulu to forfeit the firearm and ammunition.

Pahulu was indicted by a federal grand jury in January 2026. He pleaded guilty on June 1, 2026.

The conviction stems from an incident that occurred on November 1, 2025, in the parking lot of a Shop N Cart on N. Minnesota Avenue in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. After getting into an altercation with another man, Pahulu drew a firearm from his waistband and fired two rounds into the ground to scare or intimidate the man. Pahulu then drove away. Shortly thereafter, Pahulu was located and apprehended by the Sioux Falls Police Department. Pahulu had been previously convicted of a felony in the State of California. He is therefore prohibited by federal law from possessing a firearm.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). Through PSN, the District of South Dakota seeks to bring together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Sioux Falls Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell prosecuted the case.

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