Federal authorities last week again raided a roofing and siding company in Mitchell, S.D., which has been in the legal crosshairs of federal prosecutors since the end of 2023 after the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms executed a search warrant against Mitchell Roofing and Siding and its owner.
Last week's bust by authorities is the latest in a string of legal issues for Cory Cumings, 44, who is facing federal and state charges stemming from that initial raid, the seized contents of which were recently made public in a string of court filings.
According to federal documents, the December 2023 raid on Cuming’s business and home found more than 100 firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition. The contractor is also facing state-level felony drug possession charges.
In a federal court filing dated May 31, the U.S. Attorney’s office for South Dakota filed a complaint for forfeiture with the court regarding the seized guns and ammunition that authorities confiscated in the December raid on Cuming’s Mitchell-based business and his home in nearby Mount Vernon, S.D.
The complaint listed 125 firearms, eight silencers and 10,238 rounds of ammunition. At least 40 weapons were listed as shotguns, pistols, revolvers, rifles, and at least one machine gun.
U.S. Attorney Allison Ramsdell and Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Langford also requested that a federal court issue a warrant and summons for the arrest and seizure of the defendant's property and that the defendant’s property be forfeited and condemned to the U.S. government. A warrant of arrest was entered in the court record on June 3.
The raid on Mitchell Roofing & Siding, in the city of Mitchell, which has a population of 15,000 according to the U.S. Census Bureau, was first reported by the Mitchell Republic. Mitchell is about an hour west of Sioux Falls.
On June 12, acting on a tip, reporters from Mitchell Republic observed plain-clothed law enforcement authorities at Cumings’ Mitchell Roofing business again, removing weapons from the building. The newspaper reported that 84 of the 147 items listed in the civil forfeiture during the December raid were taken from the Mitchell Roofing business. The remaining 63 items were recovered from Cumings’ rural Mount Vernon home.
It is unlawful for an individual to own or possess firearms or ammunition “…who is an unlawful user of or addicted to any controlled substance,” according to federal law. That fact was illustrated starkly in the recent trial of Hunter Biden, President Joe Biden’s son, who was convicted of the same crime in a trial that concluded in Los Angeles last week.
Other violations of federal gun laws mentioned in the complaint were results of state-level drug charges Cumings faces that include possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine), a Class 5 felony that carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine; possession of marijuana wax, a Class 5 felony; and keeping place for use or sale of a controlled substance, a Class 5 felony. He was also charged with a pair of misdemeanors, including one count of stalking and permitting threatening or harassing phone calls. Those charges stem from Aurora County and were filed in state criminal court.
Authorities found approximately 3 ounces of marijuana wax and a scale with residue that tested positive for methamphetamine, according to the affidavit filed in Aurora County. The misdemeanor charges stem from a phone call between Cumings and a female victim; an affidavit alleges Cumings threatened to “hire a hitman” to kill a woman.
Cumings has pleaded not guilty to all charges and is scheduled to appear in court on July 11 for a status hearing in connection to the state drug possession charges and misdemeanor offenses.
