Hermosa Man Sentenced to More Than 11 Years on Gun and Drug Charges

Klaus Anderst, age 39, was sentenced to 11 years and three months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release on the conspiracy charge, and 10 years and three years of supervised release on the firearm charge, sentences to run concurrently.  He was also ordered to pay a $200 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Anderst was indicted for the charges by a federal grand jury on June 11, 2020, and pleaded guilty on February 21, 2021.  Anderst, a previously convicted felon who is prohibited from possessing firearms, was found to knowingly be in possession of multiple firearms, some of which were stolen, and a sawed-off shotgun after he came into contact with law enforcement in March 2020 in Rapid City.  Anderst was also found in possession of methamphetamine and had been distributing large quantities of methamphetamine in and around Rapid City.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime

The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson prosecuted the case.

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