A federal judge has sentenced a Sioux Falls, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person and Possession of a Stolen Firearm. Caesar Valle, 22, was sentenced to three years and four months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $200 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Valle was indicted by a federal grand jury in May 2024. He pleaded guilty in December 2024. In December 2023, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) received a tip that Valle was illegally selling firearms. ATF then conducted an undercover operation in which an agent reached out to Valle, posing as a firearms purchaser. Valle eventually met up with the undercover agent and sold a Beretta shotgun to the agent for $650. Valle told the agent the shotgun was stolen, which was confirmed based on a check of the serial number. Valle is prohibited from possessing firearms due to three prior felony convictions, including First Degree Robbery and Possession of a Firearm After Violent Felony Conviction. 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 ATF. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Joyce prosecuted the case. ...read more read less