RAPID CITY, S.D. – A Rapid City man will spend two and a half years in federal prison after admitting to illegally possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon.
The court sentenced 47-year-old Patrick Riley Bettelyoun on September 28 in U.S. District Court. In addition to his prison term, Bettelyoun must serve three years of supervised release and pay a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Court documents show Bettelyoun had a prior felony drug conviction from 2022, making it illegal for him to possess firearms.
Prosecutors say Bettelyoun had absconded from parole in October 2024 and was later located by a warrant task force in Sioux Falls. During a traffic stop, officers reportedly found a firearm, ammunition, methamphetamine, and fentanyl inside the vehicle he was in.
The Sioux Falls Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Bettelyoun was taken into U.S. Marshals custody following his sentencing.
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