Sioux Falls Man with History of Eluding Local Police Sentenced to 7 Years in Federal Prison for Illegally Possessing a Firearm

SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a man from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, convicted of Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person and Illegal Receipt of a Firearm by a Person Under Indictment. The sentencing took place on September 15, 2025.

Boru Guye Wako, Jr., 39, was sentenced to 7 years in federal prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $200 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Wako was indicted for Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person and Illegal Receipt of a Firearm by a Person Under Indictment by a federal grand jury in November 2023. He was found guilty following a two-day jury trial on July 1, 2025.

The conviction stemmed from an incident in Sioux Falls, SD, on March 8, 2023, when the Sioux Falls Police Department received a report of a stolen vehicle last seen driven by Wako. When detectives with the Sioux Falls Violent Crime Unit located Wako in the stolen vehicle, they attempted to initiate a traffic stop. Rather than comply, Wako fled in the vehicle through a residential neighborhood, later abandoning the vehicle in an alleyway. As the detectives approached Wako a second time, he fled on foot, eventually escaping by stealing a second vehicle. Detectives then searched the first vehicle from which Wako fled and discovered a firearm in the driver's side door. Later analysis revealed Wako's DNA on the firearm. Having previously been convicted of a felony, and at the time being under indictment for a separate felony, Wako is prohibited from possessing firearms.

"This case is the result of powerful partnerships between local and federal law enforcement," said U.S. Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell. "For nearly three years now, the U.S. Attorney's Office has worked with the Sioux Falls Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to charge local violent offenders with federal firearm offenses whenever possible. Through federal prosecution, we have been removing violent offenders from the streets of Sioux Falls for significant periods of time, interrupting violence and keeping our community safe."

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

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