February 19, 2026 – RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced on Wednesday that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Playa Del Rey, California, man convicted of three counts of False Statement During Purchase of a Firearm.  The sentencing took place on February 13, 2026.

Jacob Barba, age 39, was sentenced to one year and three months in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $300 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund and a $5,000 fine.  Barba was also ordered to forfeit seven firearms.

Barba was indicted for False Statement During Purchase of a Firearm by a federal grand jury in May 2024.  He pleaded guilty on November 3, 2025.

Between December 2023 and March 2024, Barba obtained a lease within a commercial building in Rapid City for a small storage closet.  Barba then used the address at the commercial building as a residential address even though he did not live there and could not have lived there. Barba never used the commercial space for any legitimate purpose.  Barba then obtained a fraudulent South Dakota driver’s license, concealed carry permit, and South Dakota hunting license by claiming the commercial storage closet was an apartment within the commercial building.  Thereafter, Barba used these documents to obtain seven firearms in South Dakota, claiming on the firearm purchase forms that he was a South Dakota resident and listing the storage closet as his residential address. Barba, however, actually resided in California, where he maintained his home with his wife and a business.  Barba would fly into South Dakota and stay at Airbnb locations. During his stay in South Dakota, Barba would purchase firearms that he would then take back to California.  The investigation also showed that Barba assisted other individuals who resided outside South Dakota to make it appear as though they lived in South Dakota for the purpose of saving on state income taxes, despite the fact the others never actually lived or did any work in South Dakota.

“At bottom, this was a residency scam run by a California man pretending to live in a small storage closet in Rapid City,” said U.S. Attorney Parsons.  “The lengths to which some will go to skirt the law and cheat the public never cease to surprise.”

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 the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benjamin Patterson and Benjamin Schroeder prosecuted the case.

Source: DOJ Release