Northern District of Iowa

A Waterloo man who illegally possessed a firearm as a drug user was sentenced May 16, 2022, to more than a year in federal prison.

Kierin Craig Johnson, age 24, from Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison term after an October 15, 2021 guilty plea to possession of a firearm by a drug user.

Information disclosed at sentencing showed that, in September and October 2019, Johnson posted several videos to social media showing him smoking marijuana and possessing a gun.  Johnson also posted videos advertising the sale of marijuana.  On October 18, 2019, law enforcement searched Johnson’s home, which he shared with his brother, and recovered evidence of marijuana distribution throughout the residence.  While officers were searching, Johnson arrived home and officers seized a loaded handgun from a vehicle associated with Johnson.  After his arrest, Johnson admitted to smoking marijuana for several years, and his urine specimen tested positive for marijuana and other substances.

Johnson was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams.  Johnson was sentenced to 12 months’ and 1 day imprisonment.  He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.  Johnson was released on the bond previously set and is to surrender to the United States Marshal on May 31, 2022.        

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).  PSN is 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 case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dillan Edwards and investigated by the Waterloo Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. 

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 20-CR-02045.

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A man who used false identification documents and someone else’s social security number was convicted by a jury today after a two-day trial in federal court in Cedar Rapids.

Fernando Moreno-Moreno, age 42, a citizen of Nicaragua illegally present in the United States and residing in Postville, Iowa, was convicted of one count of unlawful use of identification documents and one count of misuse of a social security number.  The verdict was returned this afternoon following about one hour of jury deliberations.

The evidence at trial showed that Moreno-Moreno illegally entered the United States in November 2021, and after being released by immigration authorities, traveled to Iowa looking for work.  Despite being told that he could not work in the United States without authorization, Moreno-Moreno used an alias name and a Social Security number assigned to another person when completing employment paperwork in January 2022 at a business in West Union, Iowa.  Specifically, Moreno-Moreno presented the company with a fraudulent Lawful Permanent Resident card, also known as a “green card,” bearing the alias name and an Alien Registration number, to prove his authorization to work in the United States.  The Alien Registration number on the green card was not assigned to anyone and was invalid.  He also presented a Social Security card bearing his alias name but containing the social security number assigned to another person when completing state and federal tax forms.  Moreno-Moreno admitted at trial that he used the alias when employed at the company between January and March 2022 but denied knowingly using another person’s identification documents.

Sentencing before United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Moreno-Moreno remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing.  Moreno-Moreno faces a possible maximum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment, a $500,000 fine, and six years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel C. Tvedt and was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations.

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 22-CR-2010.

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A man who was found under the influence of methamphetamine in a Dubuque cell phone store bathroom with a loaded handgun was sentenced May 12, 2022, to two years in federal prison.

Austin Matthew Oberbroeckling, age 27, from Farley, Iowa, received the prison term after a January 5, 2022 guilty plea to one count of possession of a firearm by an unlawful drug user.

In a plea agreement, Oberbroeckling admitted that, in August 2019, the Dubuque Police Department received a call of a suspicious individual at a Dubuque cell phone store.  A responding officer arrived and found Oberbroeckling inside the bathroom near the sink.  A .40 caliber handgun loaded with 14 rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber was located on the tank of the toilet.  Oberbroeckling had red and watery eyes, poor balance, and seemed to be lethargic and twitching.  His Blood Alcohol Content was only .01, but later testing of his urine determined that Oberbroeckling had methamphetamine and biproducts of heroin and fentanyl in his system.

Oberbroeckling also admitted in the plea agreement that in August 2021 he was present at a hotel in Dubuque where drug paraphernalia was seen by hotel staff.  When hotel staff told Oberbroeckling that the police would be called, Oberbroeckling and another occupant took some items and left the hotel.  Hotel staff, and then police, found two shotguns in the room and various items of drug paraphernalia.  Police found Oberbroeckling’s vehicle still parked outside the hotel the next day and obtained a search warrant for it.  Inside the vehicle officers found a bag containing a shotgun with a shortened (sawed-off) barrel.  Oberbroeckling admitted he possessed the sawed-off shotgun found in his vehicle.

Oberbroeckling was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams.  Oberbroeckling was sentenced to 24 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).  PSN is 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.

Oberbroeckling is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was investigated by the Dubuque Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dan Chatham. 

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 21‑CR‑1026‑CJW‑MAR.

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A felon who possessed a firearm was sentenced May 13, 2022, to 37 months in federal prison.

Joshua Brown, age 49, of Iowa City received the sentence after a November 22, 2021 guilty plea to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.  At the plea hearing, Brown admitted that, on July 18, 2020, he knowingly possessed a pistol after having been convicted of two crimes punishable by more than one year of imprisonment.  In a plea agreement, Brown admitted that the pistol was stolen and that its serial numbers were obliterated.  Brown admitted he had prior convictions for unauthorized possession of an offensive weapon in Johnson County in 1995 and possession of a firearm by a felon in Cedar County in 1996.

Brown was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams.  Brown was sentenced to 37 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system. 

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).  PSN is 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.

Brown was released on the bond previously set and is to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on a date yet to be set.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark Tremmel and was investigated by the Cedar Rapids Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Linn County Sheriff’s Office.

Court file information is available at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.  The case file number is CR 21-14.

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A man who sold three firearms to a confidential informant and assaulted a police officer was sentenced today to more than seven years in federal prison.

Joshua Ray Hunley, age 36, from Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison term after a September 27, 2021 guilty plea to one count of possession of a firearm by a felon.

Information from a plea agreement showed that, in September 2020, Hunley, a convicted felon, sold two rifles and a shotgun to a confidential informant, who Hunley knew to be a felon and a methamphetamine user.  About four months later, police officers saw Hunley outside a residence in Waterloo at approximately 11:30 p.m.  As an officer was speaking with Hunley, the officer saw a small revolver on the ground by Hunley’s feet.  The officer moved to detain Hunley, who tried to flee.  During an ensuing struggle, Hunley hit the officer multiple times in the face and head before the officer managed to take Hunley into custody.  Officers found $422 in cash, methamphetamine, marijuana, and ammunition on Hunley’s person.  

Hunley was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams.  Hunley was sentenced to 87 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).  PSN is 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.

Hunley is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kyndra Lundquist and investigated by a Federal Task Force composed of the Waterloo Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives assisted by the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office and the Cedar Falls Police Department.  

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 21-CR-2025.

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A drug user who bought thirty-one firearms, at least twenty-four of which were for other people, was sentenced on May 13, 2022, to five years in federal prison.

Chevelle Manuel Daudinot, Jr., age 27, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after a December 9, 2021 guilty plea to one count of possession of a firearm by an unlawful user of a controlled substance.

Information from a plea agreement and at sentencing showed that Daudinot purchased thirty-one firearms between August 2020 and April 2021.  Daudinot falsely stated on the paperwork he filled out to buy the guns that he was not an unlawful user of marijuana.  On the paperwork for twenty-four of the firearms, Daudinot falsely stated the firearms were for himself when he was really buying them for other people.  When law enforcement agents searched Daudinot’s residence in May 2021, he only had three of the firearms still in his possession.  Daudinot’s cell phone contained text messages regarding his firearms dealing, including messages soliciting firearms from him, negotiating prices for firearms, and setting meetings to exchange firearms.  Other text messages showed that, in addition to using marijuana, Daudinot was distributing marijuana.     

Four guns that Daudinot purchased were recovered during other criminal investigations.  In April 2021, Chicago police officers recovered one from a car occupied by a felon and a minor.  Through ballistics testing, the firearm was linked to a homicide that occurred in Chicago in March 2021 in which a victim died of three gunshot wounds. 

Daudinot was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams.  Daudinot was sentenced to 60 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

Daudinot was released on the bond previously set and is to surrender to the United States Marshal on May 27, 2022.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).  PSN is 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 case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kyndra Lundquist and investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Cedar Rapids Police Department, and the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement. 

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 21-CR-51.

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A woman who distributed heroin and fentanyl in Dubuque, Iowa, plead guilty on May 12, 2022.

Nicole L. Jarvis, age 35, formerly of Dubuque, Iowa, was convicted of conspiracy to distribute heroin and fentanyl and distribution of heroin and fentanyl within 1,000 feet of a protected location.

In a plea agreement, Jarvis admitted to engaging in a drug-related conspiracy to distribute heroin and fentanyl on at least five occasions in Dubuque.  In the fall of 2020, Jarvis utilized Facebook messenger and other communications devices to set up a transaction involving heroin and fentanyl.  Jarvis later distributed heroin and fentanyl near Loras College and Madison Park.

Sentencing before United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Jarvis remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing.  Jarvis faces a possible maximum sentence of 60 years’ imprisonment, a fine of not more than $2 million, and up to six years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment.

This case was investigated by the Dubuque Drug Task Force and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jason D. Norwood.

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.  The case file number is 21-CR-1033-CJW.

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A Washington, D.C. man and his two companies have been ordered to stop engaging in fraud and transferring fraud proceeds in an N95 mask scheme.  He must also return over $2.4 million to his victims.  In a civil judgment filed in federal court in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on May 12, 2022, Alex St. James Railey Cisco, also known as “Alex St. James” and “William Sir Knight Alex-St. James,” from Washington, D.C., had the judgment entered against him on an Amended Civil Complaint filed by the United States on February 16, 2021.  The Amended Civil Complaint alleged that Railey Cisco and his two corporations, US FED Group, LLC (“USFG”) and Trade-Backed Equity, LLC (“TBE”), engaged in wire fraud and money laundering as part of a fraudulent 3M N95 mask scheme in 2020.  

Evidence at multiple temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction hearings in 2021, as well as additional materials filed in conjunction with a motion filed in February 2022, showed that Railey Cisco controlled USFG and TBE and their bank accounts in Washington, D.C.  In October 2020, a Cedar Rapids first-aid manufacturer contracted with an intermediary in Florida for the purchase of one million 3M masks, which were in high demand at that time due to the COVID-19 pandemic, by means of a purported contract the intermediary had with USFG.  The intermediary represented that USFG was an authorized distributor of 3M masks, but in truth at no time was USFG an authorized 3M distributor.

Believing USFG was an authorized 3M distributor, the Cedar Rapids company wired over $2.4 million to a Florida lawyer for the purchase of the masks.  The Florida lawyer in turn wired those funds to an account that Railey Cisco controlled on behalf of USFG.  The Cedar Rapids company never received the masks or its money back, despite the Cedar Rapids company’s repeated demands. 

Instead of returning the Cedar Rapids company’s money or providing the one million 3M masks, Railey Cisco transferred the Cedar Rapids company’s funds to an account he controlled at TBE.

The Cedar Rapids company was not Railey Cisco’s only victim.  In September 2020, a California company had also agreed to wire over $250,000 to USFG’s account in Washington, D.C. in anticipation of receiving 3M masks, but the California company never received the 3M masks or its money back from Railey Cisco or USFG.  The court found Railey Cisco received the money even though he knew that he, USFG, and TBE were unable and would be unable to fulfill any order for 3M masks.  Railey Cisco was the sole owner of the USFG and TBE bank accounts at all relevant times.

United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams ordered the return of over $2.4 million dollars to St. James’s victims and entered a permanent injunction forbidding Railey Cisco, USFG, or TBE from engaging in fraud or transferring fraud proceeds.  However, the court will retain jurisdiction over related matters including, but not limited to, enforcement of the permanent injunction order and the discovery, restraint, disgorgement, collection, and return of fraudulent and laundered funds for any victims of the scheme.

On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

The case was handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Timothy L. Vavricek and Matthew Gillespie and investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Office of Inspector General.  Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 21-CV-8.

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A Sioux City man who conspired to distribute methamphetamine pled guilty May 9, 2022, in federal court in Sioux City. Jose Luis Estrada, age 37, from Sioux City, was convicted of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.

In a plea agreement, Estrada admitted to conspiring to distribute large quantities of methamphetamine around the tri-state area. 

Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Estrada remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing.  Estrada faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of up to life imprisonment, a $10,000,000 fine, and 5 years up to life of supervised release following any imprisonment.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ron Timmons and was investigated by Tri-State Drug Task Force based in Sioux City, Iowa, that consists of law enforcement personnel from the Drug Enforcement Administration; Sioux City, Iowa, Police Department; Homeland Security Investigations; Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office; South Sioux City, Nebraska, Police Department; Nebraska State Patrol; Iowa National Guard; Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; United States Marshals Service; South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation; and Woodbury County Attorney’s Office.

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 21-4075.

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Scott Pride, 69, from Tucson, AZ, plead guilty May 5, 2022, in federal court in Sioux City to possession with intent to distribute cocaine.

At the plea hearing, evidence showed that on January 16, 2022, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop, based on a speeding violation, of a 2011 Silver Lexus IS registered to and operated by Pride.  After suspecting possible drug trafficking, a police K-9 was deployed and alerted to the odor of a controlled substance within the vehicle.  Officers conducted a search of the vehicle and located five heat-sealed, brick-type packages containing over 5 kilograms of cocaine.

Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Pride remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing.  Pride faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of 40 years’ imprisonment, a $5,000,000 fine, and at least four years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick T. Greenwood and was investigated by Tri-State Drug Task Force based in Sioux City, Iowa, that consists of law enforcement personnel from the Drug Enforcement Administration; Sioux City, Iowa, Police Department; Homeland Security Investigations; Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office; South Sioux City, Nebraska, Police Department; Nebraska State Patrol; Iowa National Guard; Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; United States Marshals Service; South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation; and Woodbury County Attorney’s Office.   

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 22-4006.  Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.

A man who led officers on a high-speed chase while illegally possessing a firearm was sentenced today to more than two years in federal prison.

Davon Terrell Biddle, age 22, from Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison term after a November 15, 2021 guilty plea to being a drug user in possession of a firearm.

In a plea agreement, Biddle admitted that, on March 29, 2021, he was driving a vehicle through Waterloo, Iowa.  Police attempted to initiate a traffic stop of the vehicle, but Biddle refused to stop.  Instead, Biddle fled from officers, reaching speeds of 60 miles per hour in a 30 mile per hour zone.  Biddle eventually slowed the vehicle so that he and his passengers could flee on foot.  Biddle continued to flee on foot and threw a Walther PPS 9x19mm caliber pistol as he ran from police.  Police located the firearm, and DNA testing established that Biddle’s DNA was on the magazine area of the firearm.  At the time he possessed the firearm, Biddle was an unlawful user of marijuana. 

Biddle was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams.  Biddle was sentenced to 27 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).  PSN is 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.

Biddle is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lisa C. Williams and was investigated by a Federal Task Force composed of the Waterloo Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms assisted by the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office and Cedar Falls Police Department.   

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 21-CR-2059.

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A man who possessed firearms while being a marijuana user and dealer was sentenced today to more than four years in federal prison.

Xzavier Kristian Cummings, age 22, from Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison term after a November 16, 2021 guilty plea to possession of a firearm while being a drug user.

At the sentencing hearing, the court found that Cummings possessed firearms in connection with marijuana trafficking and that some of the firearms Cummings possessed had high-capacity magazines attached.  When he bought the guns, Cummings failed to disclose his drug use.  Further evidence showed that he was using social media to distribute marijuana during 2021.  The court also noted that Cummings would have received a lower sentence, but due to violations of his conditions of release while on pretrial release, the ultimate sentence was increased.

Cummings was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams.  Cummings was sentenced to 49 months’ imprisonment.  He must serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).  PSN is 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.

Cummings is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Emily K. Nydle and was investigated by a Federal Task Force composed of the Waterloo Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms assisted by the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office and the Cedar Falls Police Department. 

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 21-cr-02065.

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An Iowa man who conspired to distribute over 150 pounds of ice methamphetamine was sentenced to more than 21 years in federal prison.  

Jeremey Aswegan, age 44, from Van Horne, Iowa, received the prison term after an October 7, 2021, guilty plea to one-count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance. 

Evidence at sentencing showed that Aswegan was involved in a Mexico-based drug trafficking organization that delivered at least 150 pounds of ice methamphetamine to Iowa via rail car in the Summer and Fall of 2020.  Aswegan then worked with others in the drug trafficking organization to distribute the methamphetamine in Iowa.  Aswegan also participated in sending drug proceeds to Mexico at the request of the organization.  A search warrant was conducted at Aswegan’s residence on October 30, 2020, and investigators recovered ice methamphetamine and a firearm.       

Aswegan was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams.  Aswegan was sentenced to 262 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a 5-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

Aswegan is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison. 

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dillan Edwards and was investigated as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program of the United States Department of Justice through a cooperative effort of the Tri-County Drug Enforcement Task Force, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office. 

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 21-CR-02047.

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A Dubuque man that possessed a firearm while subject to a no-contact order and in connection with distributing marijuana was sentenced today to more than 2 years in federal prison. 

Marcus McDaniel, age 24, from Dubuque, Iowa, received the prison term after a November 1, 2021, guilty plea to one-count of possession of a firearm while subject to an order of protection. 

Information disclosed at sentencing and prior hearings showed that, on July 8, 2020, a no-contact order was issued against McDaniel following McDaniel’s arrest for domestic abuse assault.  On August 29, 2020, while still subject to the no-contact order, law enforcement recovered a loaded Glock 19X, 9x19mm caliber pistol, with an extended magazine from McDaniel’s person outside of his apartment.  Inside McDaniel’s apartment, law enforcement seized at least 33 pounds of marijuana.           

McDaniel was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams.  McDaniel was sentenced to 31 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).  PSN is 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.

McDaniel is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison. 

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dillan Edwards and investigated by the Dubuque Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Explosives, and Firearms. 

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 21-CR-01018.

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A man who illegally re-entered the United States pled guilty May 4, 2022, in federal court in Sioux City.

Miguel Rodriguez-Chavez, 38, from Mexico, was convicted of illegal re-entry as an aggravated felon.

At the plea hearing, Rodriguez-Chavez admitted that on April 21, 2021, he was arrested in O’Brien County, Iowa.  Further investigation conducted by law enforcement revealed Rodriguez-Chavez as a citizen of Mexico and was previously removed from the United States on five (5) occasions; May 28, 2003, April 30, 2004, January 01, 2016, October 14, 2016, and March 19, 2020.  Rodriguez-Chavez further admitted at the plea hearing that, on July 17, 2006, he was convicted in the Superior Court of Arizona, Yuma County, of Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon or Dangerous Instrument, an aggravated felony.  

Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Rodriguez-Chavez remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing.  Rodriguez-Chavez faces a possible maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and not more than 3 years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick T. Greenwood and was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the O’Brien County Sheriff’s Office. 

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 21-4043.  Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.

A man who conspired to distribute methamphetamine was sentenced on May 4, 2022, in federal court in Sioux City.

Demarcus Foy, 31, from Fort Dodge, Iowa, pled guilty on November 18, 2021, to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and one count of distribution of methamphetamine. 

At the plea and sentencing hearings, evidence showed that between April 2015 and continuing to on or about June 2020, Foy and others distributed more than 45 kilograms of methamphetamine primarily in Fort Dodge and Mason City, Iowa areas.  Also, on four separate occasions during 2019, Foy distributed a total of four ounces methamphetamine to individuals cooperating and under the supervision of law enforcement in Fort Dodge, Iowa. Foy often received from six to ten pounds of methamphetamine at a time from his source, which he further distributed.  

Sentencing was held before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Foy was sentenced to 252 months’ imprisonment and must serve a 5-year term of supervised release following the imprisonment.  There is no parole in the federal system.  Foy remains in custody of the United States Marshal until he can be transported to a federal prison.  

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and was investigated by the Iowa Department of Narcotics Enforcement, Fort Dodge Police Department, Webster County Sheriff’s Office, the Mason City Police Department, Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Office, and Iowa DCI Laboratory.  

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.  
The case file number is 20-3021.  Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
 

A South Sioux City man who conspired to distribute large quantities of methamphetamine was sentenced April 29, 2022, to 10 years in federal prison.  Miguel Ceron, age 25, from South Sioux City, Nebraska, received the prison term after a December 6, 2021, guilty plea.  Ceron admitted to conspiring to distribute approximately 2 pounds of methamphetamine in March 2021. 

Ceron was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Ceron was sentenced to 120 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a 5-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

Ceron is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ron Timmons and was investigated by the Tri-State Drug Task Force based in Sioux City, Iowa, that consists of law enforcement personnel from the Drug Enforcement Administration; Sioux City, Iowa, Police Department; Homeland Security Investigations; Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office; South Sioux City, Nebraska, Police Department; Nebraska State Patrol; Iowa National Guard; Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; United States Marshals Service; South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation; and Woodbury County Attorney’s Office. 

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 21-4039.

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A man who conspired to distribute methamphetamine was sentenced April 28, 2022, to more than fifteen years in federal prison.

Jose Sandoval, 39, originally from Webster City, Iowa, received the prison term after a November 5, 2013, guilty plea to conspiring to distribute methamphetamine. After entering a guilty plea, Sandoval absconded from federal authorities and lived in Mexico for eight years to avoid the consequences of his criminal activity.  In 2021, Sandoval turned himself in to federal law enforcement at the U.S.-Mexico border.  Sandoval received an obstruction of justice sentencing enhancement for his flight from federal supervision.

At the plea and sentencing hearings, evidence showed that Sandoval was involved in a conspiracy distributing methamphetamine from about January 2012 through January 2013.  Sandoval admitted to selling up to quarter pound quantities of methamphetamine every 1-2 weeks throughout 2012 up to January 9, 2013, throughout central Iowa.  On January 9, 2013, officers executed a search warrant of Sandoval’s residence and seized various items of drug distribution paraphernalia, including digital scales and $3,000, as well as six firearms.  Sandoval also admitted to purchasing the firearms with the expectation of selling them for profit.     

Sandoval was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Sandoval was sentenced to 188 months’ imprisonment.  Sandoval must also serve a five-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.  Sandoval is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and investigated by the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Webster City Police Department, Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, Wright County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa State Patrol, and Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.     

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 13-3003.  Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.

Three Northeastern Iowa family members were sentenced recently in federal court for their respective roles in crop loan and bankruptcy fraud schemes.

Aimee Lynn Rosenbaum, formerly known as Aimee Lynn Flatjord, age 53, from Lawler, Iowa, was sentenced to 78 months of imprisonment on April 28, 2022.  She was ordered to make $165,592.21 in restitution to the United States Department of Agriculture-Farm Services Agency (“USDA-FSA”) and $4,796 in restitution to a bank, to pay a $5,000 fine, and to repay $7,086.74 in attorney fees for her prior court-appointed counsel.  She must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  Aimee Lynn Rosenbaum received the prison term after a June 14, 2021 guilty plea to one count of conversion of property pledged to a farm credit agency and one count of bankruptcy fraud.

Donald Eugene Rosenbaum, age 58, from Cresco, Iowa, was sentenced to two years of probation on May 2, 2022.  He was also ordered to pay a $1,000 fine.  Donald Eugene Rosenbaum received the probation term after a June 10, 2021 guilty plea to one count of bankruptcy fraud.

Marshal Dillion Rosenbaum, age 27, from Fredericksburg, Iowa, was sentenced to three months of imprisonment and three months of home confinement on April 25, 2022.  He was also ordered to make $165,592.21 in restitution to the USDA-FSA, jointly and severally with Aimee Lynn Rosenbaum.  Marshal Dillion Rosenbaum received the prison term after a June 21, 2021 guilty plea to one count of conversion of property pledged to a farm credit agency.  He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. 

In the family members’ plea agreements, as well as through evidence at a three-day sentencing hearing for Aimee Lynn Rosenbaum, it was established that Aimee Lynn Rosenbaum (“Aimee”) and Donald Eugene Rosenbaum (“Donald”) historically farmed land in Chickasaw County, Iowa.  Marshal Dillion Rosenbaum (“Marshal”) is the son of Aimee and Donald.  In late 2014, Aimee directed Marshal to apply for a crop loan with the USDA-FSA for the 2015 crop year on the pretense that Marshal would be taking over the farm due to purported health problems of Aimee and Donald.  After Marshal obtained over $165,000 in loan proceeds and pledged the farm’s 2015 crop to the USDA-FSA, Aimee applied for and obtained over $1.3 million in loans from a local bank on the representation that Aimee and Donald would continue to farm the land that year.  The 2015 crop thus was double-pledged without the knowledge of the USDA or the bank.  Aimee applied for the bank loans on Donald’s behalf using a power of attorney she had obtained from Donald.

The Rosenbaums eventually defaulted on both loans and sold the double-pledged crop with little to no repayment.  After the bank started foreclosure proceedings on the Rosenbaums’ farm, Aimee and Donald filed five bankruptcy petitions in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Iowa. Aimee and Donald each filed two additional bankruptcy petitions in bad faith and on the eve of scheduled Sheriff’s sales in state court in order to frustrate and delay the bank’s attempts to obtain repayment for its loans to Aimee and Donald.  During one telephonic hearing in bankruptcy court in 2019, Aimee pretended to be Donald.  The district court also found that Aimee submitted false evidence and testimony to the district court at her sentencing hearing.

The Rosenbaums were sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams.  Aimee Lynn Rosenbaum and Marshal Dillion Rosenbaum were released on bonds previously set and are to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on dates yet to be set.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Timothy L. Vavricek and investigated by the United States Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. 

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 19-CR-2078.

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A Marshalltown man, who was involved in the importation and distribution of thousands of kilograms of methamphetamine, was sentenced today, April 29, 2022, to over 20 years in federal prison. 

Genaro Aguilar Lemus, age 23, from Marshalltown, Iowa, received the prison sentence after a May 6, 2021, guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. 

Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings showed that, beginning in 2017, law enforcement investigated a large-scale methamphetamine trafficking organization operating out of Mexico.  The head of the organization, Mario Hernandez, was based in Mexico and worked with others, including Aguilar Lemus, to transport kilogram quantities of methamphetamine into Iowa.  Aguilar Lemus was intercepted on a wiretap investigation speaking with Mario Hernandez.  He was also intercepted on the wiretap investigation speaking with Travis Werkmeister, a high-ranking member of the organization based out of Waterloo, Iowa.  Aguilar Lemus arranged shipments of methamphetamine into Iowa and the transport of currency back to Mexico.  Aguilar Lemus would receive pound to kilogram quantities of methamphetamine at a time and would redistribute to others involved in the conspiracy, who would in turn sell to others.

Aguilar Lemus was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams.  Aguilar Lemus was sentenced to 243 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a five-year term of supervised release after the prison term and pay a $100 special assessment fee.  There is no parole in the federal system.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ashley Corkery.  This case was investigated as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program of the United States Department of Justice through a cooperative effort of the Mid-Iowa Task Force (Marshall County Sheriff’s Office, Tama County Sheriff’s Office, Marshalltown Police Department), Iowa National Guard and Counter Drug Program, Tri-County Task Force (Cedar Falls Police Department, Waterloo Police Department, Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office), the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the FBI Safe Streets Task Force, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. 

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 20-CR-2034.

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A Sioux City man who sold large quantities of methamphetamine and cocaine around Sioux City was sentenced April 28, 2022 to more than 20 years in federal prison.  Isidro Jaramillo, age 41, from Sioux City, received the prison term after a November 17, 2021, guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. 

Evidence showed that beginning in 2019 Jaramillo started selling approximately 40 pounds of meth per month in the Siouxland area.  By December 2019, he stored over two pounds of cocaine, 68 pounds of marijuana, and 28 pounds of methamphetamine in a co-conspirator’s basement and coordinated the sale of the drugs, which originated from Mexico, over the course of a few months.  In March of 2021, Jaramillo sold 6 pounds of methamphetamine to an undercover law enforcement officer for $10,000.  During a subsequent search of Jaramillo’s residence, agents located approximately 3 pounds of methamphetamine and the $10,000 in cash used to purchase the 6 pounds of methamphetamine.  Jaramillo was previously convicted in the United States District Court for the District of Nebraska of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. 

Jaramillo was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Jaramillo was sentenced to 250 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a 10-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

Jaramillo is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ron Timmons and was investigated by the Tri-State Drug Task Force based in Sioux City, Iowa, that consists of law enforcement personnel from the Drug Enforcement Administration; Sioux City, Iowa, Police Department; Homeland Security Investigations; Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office; South Sioux City, Nebraska, Police Department; Nebraska State Patrol; Iowa National Guard; Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; United States Marshals Service; South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation; and Woodbury County Attorney’s Office.

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 21-04021.

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A Sioux City woman who distributed over 42 pounds of methamphetamine was sentenced April 19, 2022, to 7 years in federal prison.  Heather Sorgdrager, age 41, from Sioux City, received the prison term after an October 18, 2021, guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.

At a plea hearing, Sorgdrager admitted to conspiring to distribute large quantities of methamphetamine in and around Sioux City.  Sorgdrager admitted to possessing methamphetamine in New Mexico that she intended to bring to Sioux City.  In April 2021, law enforcement in New Mexico found Sorgdrager and another individual with over 42 pounds of methamphetamine.

Sorgdrager was sentenced in Sioux City by United States Chief District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand to 84 months’ imprisonment.  She must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.  Sorgdrager is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until she can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ron Timmons and was investigated by the Tri-State Drug Task Force based in Sioux City, Iowa, that consists of law enforcement personnel from the Drug Enforcement Administration; Sioux City, Iowa, Police Department; Homeland Security Investigations; Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office; South Sioux City, Nebraska, Police Department; Nebraska State Patrol; Iowa National Guard; Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; United States Marshals Service; South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation; and Woodbury County Attorney’s Office. 

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 21-CR-4031.

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A man who possessed a firearm as a felon was sentenced on April 26, 2022, to 8 years in federal prison.

Arrion Price, age 26, from Sioux City, Iowa, received the prison term after a December 2, 2021, guilty plea to one count of possession of a firearm by a felon.

Evidence in the case revealed that on June 8, 2021, Price was a passenger in a car when he and others were subject to a traffic stop.  The stopping officer smelled marijuana, ordered everyone out of the car, and began a search.  Price ran from the officer.  A search of the car subsequently revealed a 9mm pistol and ammunition in the storage sleeve of the car seat directly in front of where Price had been seated. The gun was loaded with one round in the chamber and 15 more rounds in the magazine. Price was eventually captured, and search of his person revealed marijuana. A search of Price’s phone revealed movies and pictures of Price with a gun that appeared identical to the gun discovered in the car.

Price has a lengthy history of violent behavior including incidents where he assaulted, robbed, and shot other persons. Price has recent criminal convictions for Robbery, Burglary and Assault With a Dangerous Weapon.

Price was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Price was sentenced to 96 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

Price is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was investigated by the Sioux City, Iowa Police Department, the Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office, and the U.S. Department of Justice – Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Forde Fairchild

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 21-CR-4052.

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A man who possessed with intent to distribute methamphetamine was sentenced on April 25, 2022, to 15 years in federal prison.

Kory Mammen, 52, from Sioux City, Iowa, pled guilty on January 4, 2022, to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.  In 2000 and 2011, Mammen was convicted in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Iowa of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.

At the plea and sentencing hearings, evidence showed that on March 26, 2021, Mammen was stopped by law enforcement for a traffic violation in Sioux City, Iowa.  Due to suspicious behavior, law enforcement deployed a K-9 on the exterior of the car which indicated to the presence of controlled substances.  A search of the car revealed a black bag under the driver’s seat which contained two syringes and 17 smaller bags containing a total of 42 grams of methamphetamine.  On November 15, 2021, during Mammen’s arrest on the charges in this case, he was found with several baggies which contained approximately 65 grams of methamphetamine.  Mammen admitted to law enforcement he planned to distribute some or all of the methamphetamine to others.  

Sentencing was held before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Mammen was sentenced to 180 months’ imprisonment and must serve an eight-year term of supervised release following the imprisonment.  There is no parole in the federal system.  Mammen remains in custody of the United States Marshal until he can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick T. Greenwood and was investigated by Tri-State Drug Task Force based in Sioux City, Iowa, that consists of law enforcement personnel from the Drug Enforcement Administration; Sioux City, Iowa, Police Department; Homeland Security Investigations; Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office; South Sioux City, Nebraska, Police Department; Nebraska State Patrol; Iowa National Guard; Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; United States Marshals Service; South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation; and Woodbury County Attorney’s Office.   

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 21-4091.  Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.

A man who was found in possession of a firearm and marijuana as law enforcement investigated allegations of domestic abuse, was sentenced on April 26, 2022, to more than 1 year in federal prison. 

Alex Torrez, age 21, from Sioux City, Iowa, pled guilty January 18, 2022, to possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.

Evidence at the detention, change of plea, and sentencing hearings showed, that Torrez possessed a firearm while being a user of marijuana.  A victim contacted police and claimed Torrez had assaulted her by punching her in the face after kicking in her front door.  This led law enforcement to discover Torrez a few blocks away from the victim’s residence under the influence, asleep in his car, with a loaded revolver on his person, and additional ammunition and marijuana found elsewhere in the car. 

Torrez was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Torrez was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.  Torrez is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).  PSN is 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 case was investigated by the Sioux City Police Department and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Forde Fairchild.

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 21-4064.  Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.

A woman who possessed with intent to distribute methamphetamine was sentenced on April 25, 2022, to 5 years in federal prison.

Kelly Beightol, 58, from Webster City, Iowa, pled guilty on December 2, 2021, to possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute.  Beightol was previously convicted of Delivery of Methamphetamine in 1992, Possession with the Intent to Deliver and Delivery of Methamphetamine in 2015, all in the Iowa District Courts.

At the plea and sentencing hearings, evidence proved that on September 6, 2021, during a traffic stop in Hardin County, Iowa, Beightol was found in possession of roughly 53 grams of pure methamphetamine and ½ pound of marijuana.  Law enforcement also seized indicia of drug distribution, including drug packaging, a digital scale, and nearly $1,700 in cash.  Beightol said she intended to distribute some or all of the methamphetamine to another person or persons. 

Sentencing was held before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Beightol was sentenced to 60 months’ imprisonment and must serve a four-year term of supervised release following the imprisonment.  There is no parole in the federal system.  Beightol remains in custody of the United States Marshal until she can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and was investigated by Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, the Hardin County Sheriff’s Office, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Laboratory, the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office and the Webster City Police Department.

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 21-3035.  Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – The Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime (“OVC”) and the Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa will join communities nationwide in observing National Crime Victims’ Rights Week and celebrating victims’ rights, protections and services. This year’s observance takes place April 24-30 and features the theme, “Rights, access, equity, for all victims.”

In the Northern District of Iowa, Acting United States Attorney Timothy T. Duax announced winners for three awards based on their service to victims in Iowa:

- The Law Enforcement Victim Services Award is presented to Officer Nicholas Berry from the Waterloo Police Department.  This award is presented to law enforcement officers in Iowa who go beyond the call of duty to help crime victims.  It is the highest federal honor in Iowa for victim services by a law enforcement officer. 

Officer Berry showed dedication to victims while investigating multiple cases involving drug overdoses resulting in the death of the victim.  In particular, Officer Berry’s work with the family of a drug overdose victim led to the successful prosecution of Eric Griggs.  Officer Berry remained in close contact with the victim’s family throughout the investigation and prosecution.  His tenacious investigation and empathy for the victim’s family led directly to the successful prosecution of Griggs, resulting in a 40-year prison sentence and restitution for the victim’s family. 

- The Award for Excellence in Victim Services is presented to Brandi Lewin from the Delaware County Victim Services Office.  Ms. Lewin is the Victim Witness Coordinator and Sexual Assault Response Team Coordinator for multiple counties.  In just 15 months in this role, Ms. Lewin has helped numerous victims improve their lives.  Ms. Lewin makes herself available to victims at all hours and goes above and beyond to assist them.  She has also established training opportunities for law enforcement, helping to ensure that there is an environment of victim-centered service during the investigation and prosecution of crimes. 

- The Award for Excellence in Victim Services is presented to Penny Galvin, the director of the Survivors’ Program with Waypoint Services.  Ms. Galvin provided outstanding services to those affected by the murder of James Booher by Matthew Robbins and others.  Throughout the investigation, prosecution, trial, and sentencing, Ms. Galvin provided outstanding support to the victim’s family, which included the victim’s mother and stepfather, the victim’s siblings, his ex-wife, and the victim’s stepchildren.  Ms. Galvin attended court hearings with the family, and regularly communicated with the family to answer questions and provide updates. During the investigation, she provided emotional support to the family, who, for years, were unsure what had happened to their loved one as his body was not recovered.  Ms. Galvin’s efforts in this regard were outstanding given the length and complexity of the investigation.

Ronald Reagan proclaimed the first Victims’ Rights Week in 1981, putting crime victims' rights, needs and concerns in a prominent spot on the American agenda. He also established the President's Task Force on Victims of Crime, which laid the groundwork for a national network of services and legal safeguards for crime victims.

For more information on how to create your own public campaigns to raise awareness about crime victims’ rights online and at events throughout the year, please visit: https://ovc.ncjrs.gov/ncvrw2022/overview.html

A Burlington man who distributed over 79 pounds of methamphetamine was sentenced today to more than 10 years in federal prison. 

Corey Lowery, age 44, from Burlington, Iowa, received the prison term after a September 15, 2021, guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.

Information disclosed at sentencing showed that, beginning in 2018, Lowery began distributing pound-quantities of methamphetamine to several individuals in the Cedar Rapids, Iowa area.  At the time, Lowery was still on federal supervised release as a result of his conviction in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa for conspiracy to distribute cocaine.  During the methamphetamine conspiracy, from 2018 to March 10, 2020, Lowery distributed at least 79 pounds of methamphetamine to the individuals from Cedar Rapids.  

Lowery was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams.  Lowery was sentenced to 126 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a 10-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

Lowery is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison. 

This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Dillan Edwards and was investigated as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program of the United States Department of Justice through a cooperative effort of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Task Force consisting of the DEA, the Linn County Sheriff’s Office, the Cedar Rapids Police Department, the Marion Police Department, and the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; and the Burlington Police Department. 

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 21-CR-00010.

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A convicted felon who possessed a stolen gun was sentenced today to more than three years in federal prison.

Alex Richard VanErp, age 28, from Faribault, Minnesota, received the prison term after a September 16, 2021 guilty plea to possession of a firearm by a felon.

Facts presented in the case show that VanErp was identified as being involved in a number of thefts in Wisconsin.  Law enforcement in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, posted video from one of the thefts on their Facebook page.  VanErp was identified from the video by store employees at an implement store in Fayette County, Iowa, while Vanerp was making a purchase.  When law enforcement arrived on scene, VanErp attempted to run out of the store and had to be tased to stop the attempted escape.  VanErp possessed a stolen firearm taken in one of the thefts from Wisconsin and also possessed methamphetamine.  VanErp had previously been convicted of a felony offense involving a financial transaction. 

VanErp was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams.  VanErp was sentenced to 37 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).  PSN is 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.

VanErp is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Emily K. Nydle and investigated by the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office and the Prairie Du Chien Police Department.  

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.  
The case file number is 6:21-cr-2043.

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A prohibited person who possessed a firearm pled guilty today in federal court in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. 

Matthew Welcher, age 43, from Dundee, was convicted of one count of being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm.  At the plea hearing, Welcher admitted that, on May 24, 2021, he possessed a Savage Axis 6.5 Creedmoor caliber rifle after having been convicted of two felonies and a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence and while he was subject to a no contact order. 

Sentencing before United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Welcher remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing.  Welcher faces a possible maximum sentence of ten years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release following any imprisonment. 

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).  PSN is 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.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark Tremmel and is being investigated by the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office, the Manchester Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.

Court file information is available at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is CR 22-2011.

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A man who possessed methamphetamine with the intent to distribute it was sentenced in federal court on April 15, 2022, to 90 months’ imprisonment.  Donovan Lang, 27, from Sioux City, Iowa, pled guilty on November 19, 2021, to one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

At the plea and sentencing hearings, evidence showed that on August 15, 2021, in Sioux City, Iowa, while a passenger in an automobile, Lang was found to possess a knife, and about 100 grams of methamphetamine.  The methamphetamine was wrapped in 2-3 purple latex gloves, found beneath where Lang was seated in the vehicle.  About 5-7 matching purple latex gloves and a short knife were found in Lang’s pockets. 

Sentencing was held before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Lang was sentenced to 90 months’ imprisonment and must serve a 4 year term of supervised release following imprisonment.  There is no parole in the federal system.  Lang remains in custody of the United States Marshal until he can be transported to a federal prison. 

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn Wehde and was investigated by the Sioux City Police Department and the Tri-State Drug Task Force based in Sioux City, Iowa, that consists of law enforcement personnel from the Drug Enforcement Administration; Sioux City, Iowa, Police Department; Homeland Security Investigations; Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office; South Sioux City, Nebraska, Police Department; Nebraska State Patrol; Iowa National Guard; Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; United States Marshals Service; South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation; and Woodbury County Attorney’s Office.

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 21-4077.  Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.

A licensed Iowa veterinarian who wrote Tramadol prescriptions for fake dogs in order to obtain the controlled substance at local pharmacies pled guilty today in federal court in Cedar Rapids.  Kristi Michelle Schreiber, age 42, from Dubuque, Iowa, was convicted of one count of acquiring a controlled substance by means of misrepresentation, fraud, deception, and subterfuge.

At the plea hearing and in a plea agreement, Schreiber admitted she is a licensed veterinarian in the State of Iowa and practices as an associate veterinarian at a pet clinic in Dubuque.  From no later than February 2019 through at least February 2021, Schreiber wrote false and fraudulent prescriptions for Tramadol for dogs that did not exist or were not necessary.  Tramadol is a Schedule IV controlled substance.  Tramadol is a centrally acting opioid analgesic used to treat moderate pain.  According to the American Kennel Club, Tramadol is a medication that veterinarians commonly prescribe to manage pain in dogs, and it is one of the few human painkillers that is safe to administer to dogs.

In March 2021, a pharmacy chain in Dubuque reported Schreiber’s diversion of tramadol to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Drug Control Division. The DEA conducted an inspection of the pet clinic at which Schreiber works and requested the files for some of dogs for which Schreiber had written prescriptions, but Schreiber could not produce all the files.  Schreiber falsely told the DEA that some of the dogs were animals of “close friends” and also that she would “pick [the prescriptions] up for friends and family because I want to make sure the dog gets it.”  Schreiber later admitted she took all the Tramadol herself.  The investigation revealed that, between March 10, 2019, and March 9, 2021, Schreiber issued a total of 266 prescriptions for animals that purportedly were under her care.  Of these 266 prescriptions, 186 (or approximately 70%) were for Tramadol HCL 50mg tablets.       

Sentencing before United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Schreiber was released on bond pending sentencing.  Schreiber faces a possible maximum sentence of four years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and one year of supervised release following any imprisonment.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Timothy L. Vavricek and was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Drug Control Division. 

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 22-CR-1012.

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A man who conspired to distribute methamphetamine while also illegally possessing firearms was sentenced on April 14, 2022, to 42 months in federal prison. 

William Hageman, 56, from rural Cherokee County, Iowa, pled guilty on December 17, 2021, to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and possession of firearms by a prohibited person.  In 1994, Hageman was previously convicted of OWI - 3rd Offense, in the Iowa District Court for Plymouth County, in 1994.  This conviction prohibited Hageman from possessing guns.

At the plea and sentencing hearings, evidence showed that from August 2018 through April 18, 2019, Hageman and others conspired to distribute more than 11 pounds of methamphetamine in Cherokee County, Iowa, and the surrounding area, often obtaining pounds of methamphetamine from Omaha, Nebraska sources.  On four separate occasions, in March and April 2019, Hageman distributed more than a pound of pure methamphetamine to individuals cooperating with and under the supervision of law enforcement.  In April 2019, law enforcement executed a search of Hageman’s rural Cherokee County residence and seized almost 1.5 pounds of methamphetamine throughout the property, as well as six guns, including four rifles.  At the time of the search, a co-conspirator was found attempting to flush methamphetamine down a toilet before officers could seize it.  Three of the guns were possessed by Hageman while three others were possessed by a co-conspirator.

Sentencing was held before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Hageman was sentenced to 42 months’ imprisonment and must serve a term of three years supervised release following imprisonment.  There is no parole in the federal system.  Hageman remains in the custody of the United States Marshal Service until he can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn Wehde and was investigated by Tri-State Drug Task Force based in Sioux City, Iowa, that consists of law enforcement personnel from the Drug Enforcement Administration; Sioux City, Iowa, Police Department; Homeland Security Investigations; Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office; South Sioux City, Nebraska, Police Department; Nebraska State Patrol; Iowa National Guard; Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; United States Marshals Service; South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation; and Woodbury County Attorney’s Office.   

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 21-4048.  Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.

A Dubuque man who escaped from the Waterloo Residential Facility where he was in custody for a 2006 drug case pled guilty today in federal court in Cedar Rapids.

Dennis Morris Brown, age 63, from Dubuque, Iowa, was convicted of one count of escape from federal custody.

In a plea agreement, Brown admitted that, in 2006, he was convicted of a federal drug offense and was sentenced to 210 months’ imprisonment and a six-year term of supervised release.  Brown had his supervised release revoked in 2021, and, as a new condition of supervised release, he had to serve up to 90 days in a residential reentry center.  On March 20, 2022, he was in still serving his 90-day placement in the Waterloo Residential Reentry Facility when he signed out of the facility to go to church and did not return as required.  On March 24, 2022, Brown turned himself into the Waterloo Police Department as an escapee. 

Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Linda R. Reade will be set in conjunction with a supervised release revocation hearing after a presentence report is prepared.  Brown remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing.  Brown faces a possible maximum sentence of 5 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and 3 years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick Reinert and was investigated by United States Marshals Service. 

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file numbers are 22-CR-2018 and 06-CR-1028.

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A man who illegally returned to the United States after being deported was sentenced today to three months in federal prison.

Fernando Garcia-Guerrero, age 35, a citizen of Mexico illegally present in the United States and residing in Williamsburg, Iowa, received the prison term after a guilty plea on February 14, 2022, to one count of illegal reentry into the United States after having been deported.

At the guilty plea, Garcia-Guerrero admitted he had previously been deported from the United States and illegally reentered the United States without the permission of the United States government.  Garcia-Guerrero was deported to Mexico by immigration officials in March 2005.  He claimed to have illegally re-entered the United States by wading across the Rio Grande River near Hidalgo, Texas, in August 2005.  In August 2017, Garcia-Guerrero was deported to Mexico following his arrest on state charges in Texas.  In September 2017, Garcia-Guerrero was caught by immigration officials in the Rio Grande Valley near Hidalgo, Texas and was again deported to Mexico.  On January 12, 2022, immigration officials learned Garcia-Guerrero had illegally returned to the United States and found Garcia-Guerrero at the Iowa County Jail following his arrest on state charges.

Garcia-Guerrero was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams.  Garcia-Guerrero was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a one-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

Garcia-Guerrero is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be turned over to immigration officials.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel C. Tvedt and investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations.

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 22-CR-06.

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A man who possessed stolen mail was sentenced on April 5, 2022, in federal court in Sioux City.

Tony Steece, 37, from Spencer, Iowa, pled guilty to three counts of possession of stolen mail on November 2, 2021.

At the plea hearing, Steece admitted that on November 26, 2020, he was in possession of three pieces of mail not addressed to him.  Evidence further showed that on the morning of November 26, 2020, the Spencer Police Department responded to a citizen’s complaint that someone was stealing mail from a mailbox.   Steece was caught with his hand in a mailbox and told police that he was returning mail.  Steece then fled police when officers tried to arrest him on outstanding warrants, running multiple stop signs, driving 80-85 mph in a 25-mph zone while inside Spencer city limits, and driving 126 mph in a 65 mph outside of city limits.  When apprehended, Steece admitted to stealing mail.  At the time of Steece’s arrest, he had in his possession a number of other pieces of mail, including three checks worth more than $500 in total.

Steece has a lengthy criminal history, including the repeated and prolonged harassment of women that the sentencing court described as “disgusting” and “obnoxious.”

Sentencing was held before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Steece was sentenced to 48 months’ imprisonment and must serve a 3-year term of supervised release following imprisonment.  There is no parole in the federal system.  Steece remains in custody of the United States Marshal until he can be transported to a federal prison. 

The case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Spencer, Iowa Police Department, and the Dickinson and Clay County Sheriffs’ Offices.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Forde Fairchild. 

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 21-4065.  Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.

A man who illegally possessed two firearms was sentenced April 8, 2022, to more than two years in federal prison.

Criston Nunez-Morris, 21, from Sioux City, Iowa, received the prison term after a November 22, 2021, guilty plea to being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm.

Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings showed Nunez-Morris was an unlawful user of marijuana, cocaine, and ecstasy when he knowingly possessed two guns, along with ammunition.  The guns were stolen.  Nunez-Morris also admitted that he possessed the guns in connection with his felonious drug trafficking.  At the time of Nunez-Morris’ arrest, he was in possession of cocaine, marijuana, ecstasy, and a digital scale.

Nunez-Morris was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Nunez-Morris was sentenced to 25 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a two-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.  Nunez-Morris is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).  PSN is 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 case was investigated by the Sioux City Police Department, Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Forde Fairchild. 

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 21-4024.  Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.

An unlawful drug user who possessed a firearm was sentenced on April 7, 2022, to more than two years in federal prison.

Esai Lopez, 23, from South Sioux City, Nebraska, received the prison term after an October 7, 2021, guilty plea to being a drug user in possession of a firearm. 

Evidence at Lopez’s plea and sentencing hearings revealed that on June 3, 2020, defendant illegally possessed a handgun and was disarmed by police.  Then, on June 23, 2020, Lopez and three other men were involved in a shooting.  The men drove to the home of an intended victim, but seeing law enforcement in the area, aborted their attack run.  The men decided upon a secondary target where one of men repeatedly fired at a Sioux City, Iowa home.  There were people, including children, in the house at the time of the shooting.  The evidence further revealed that on September 28, 2020, while the June 23 incident was under investigation, Lopez possessed a firearm in connection with a burglary, an Iowa charge of Intimidation with a Dangerous Weapon, and the shooting of a dog.    

Lopez was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Lopez was sentenced to 30 months’ imprisonment.  He was ordered to make $38,863.42. in restitution to victims and the insurance company.   He must also serve a two-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.  Lopez is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).  PSN is 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 case was investigated by the Sioux City, Iowa Police Department and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Forde Fairchild. 

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 20-4071.  Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA. 

Three individuals who were caught conspiring to distribute heroin during a wiretap investigation pled guilty recently in federal court in Cedar Rapids.

Cody Scott Deklotz, age 31, from Shellsburg, Iowa, Andrew James Lehman, 29, from Marion, Iowa, and Jerry Dwayne Banghart, age 20, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, were all convicted of conspiring to distribute heroin.  Deklotz admitted to conspiring to distribute more than 100 grams of heroin.

At their plea hearings, all three individuals admitted that they joined a conspiracy to distribute heroin with others in Cedar Rapids.  The conspiracy had been running since at least 2017 and continued until June 2021.  Evidence at a prior hearing showed that Deklotz allowed a heroin dealer from Chicago, Brian Dennis, to sell heroin out of Deklotz’s Cedar Rapids residence in early 2020.  The DEA in Cedar Rapids initiated a wiretap investigation of Dennis in early 2021.  Deklotz was intercepted over the wire purchasing heroin and also facilitating transactions between the suppliers and users.  Court records also reflect that Deklotz was stopped by officers in May 2021 while in possession of over two grams of a mixture containing heroin, fentanyl, and a powerful synthetic opioid called metonitazene, as well as about 22 grams of methamphetamine.

In a plea agreement, Banghart admitted that he bought heroin from Dennis and others, some of which he redistributed to others.  In March 2021, Banghart called Dennis and asked for “half a zip,” or a half ounce, of heroin for $1,400.  Banghart ended up purchasing approximately 10.5 grams of a substance that contained heroin, fentanyl, acetyl fentanyl, para-fluorofentanyl, and metonitazene, which he distributed to another co‑conspirator, Taylor Leyden.  Banghart also admitted to tipping off Dennis when another co‑conspirator was arrested to try to warn Dennis that the other co‑conspirator may have cooperated with police.

Two other individuals, Ryan Rick Schlitter and Melinda Salvatora Werning, previously pled guilty to the heroin conspiracy and are awaiting sentencing.  Six other individuals, including Dennis, charged in the same indictment are still pending trial.  As with any criminal case, a charge is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

Sentencing before United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams will be set after presentence reports are prepared.  All three defendants remain in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing.  Deklotz faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of 40 years’ imprisonment, a $2,000,000 fine, and a lifetime term of supervised release following any imprisonment.  Lehman and Banghart both face a possible maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment, a $1,000,000 fine, and a lifetime term of imprisonment following any imprisonment.

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Task Force consisting of the DEA; the Linn County Sheriff's Office; the Cedar Rapids Police Department; the Marion Police Department; and the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dan Chatham. 

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 21-CR-32-CJW.

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A man who illegally possessed a firearm was sentenced April 1, 2022, to more than 2 years in federal prison.

Jamaal Ferguson, 22, from Sioux City, Iowa, received the prison term after a December 1, 2021, guilty plea to being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm.

The evidence in the case revealed that on August 7, 2021, Ferguson criminally possessed a loaded handgun and 28 grams of marijuana.  This most recent offense was the last in a number of incidents involving Ferguson.

After participating in a violent home invasion on January 29, 2016, where a victim was forced to his knees, threatened, hit in the eye, and robbed at gunpoint, Ferguson attempted to do another home invasion robbery on February 5, 2016.  Because of these incidents, Ferguson was adjudicated delinquent and sent to the Iowa State Training School for Boys.  Within a year of discharge, on May 5, 2018, Ferguson assembled a group and committed another home invasion.  This time Ferguson was not there to commit a robbery, this time he was there specifically to commit an assault (even hitting the victim in the face with brass knuckles).  Following the incident, Ferguson was convicted but sentenced to probation.  While on probation, on February 19, 2019, Ferguson committed another home invasion.  He hit and kicked the victim in the head and threatened multiple people with a handgun.  On February 19, 2019, law enforcement recovered a handgun possibly used in the February 2019 home invasion, and a semi-automatic rifle. Ferguson was again convicted.  Despite multiple criminal convictions, and despite being a prohibited possessor of guns, sometime before August 7, 2021, Ferguson criminally rearmed again. 

Ferguson was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Ferguson was sentenced to 33 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.  Ferguson is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).  PSN is 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 case was investigated by the Sioux City, Iowa Police Department and the USDOJ’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Forde Fairchild. 

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 21-4084.  Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.

A man involved in methamphetamine and illegal possession of a firearm pled guilty on March 24, 2022, in federal court in Sioux City.

Dustin Haynes, 38, from Onawa, Iowa, was convicted of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, manufacture and attempt to manufacture methamphetamine, and illegal possession of a firearm. 

At the plea hearing, evidence showed that Haynes was previously convicted of Burglary, Assault while Participating in a Felony, and Possession of a Controlled Substance. As a result, Haynes was not able to legally possess guns.  Evidence further showed that on September 1, 2021, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop of the vehicle Haynes was operating.  Officers seized components of a methamphetamine lab in Haynes’ vehicle, and a shotgun (broken down) in the trunk of the vehicle.  Law enforcement also seized two boxes of pseudoephedrine (used to make methamphetamine) and receipts showing the purchase of the pseudoephedrine within the previous 30 days.  Haynes intended to manufacture and distribute the methamphetamine.  Haynes attempted to flee law enforcement agents by vehicle, then on foot, and during the pursuit threw out several baggies of meth. 

Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Haynes remains in the custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing.  On the two drug convictions, Haynes faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of 40 years’ imprisonment, a $5,000,000 fine, and at least four years of supervised release following any imprisonment.  On the firearm conviction, Haynes faces no mandatory minimum sentence and a possible maximum sentence of ten years’ imprisonment and up to three years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).  PSN is 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 case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and was investigated by Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Iowa DCI Laboratory, Monona County Sheriff’s Department, and Iowa State Patrol. 

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 21-4090.  Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.

A Hampton, Iowa woman who received unemployment benefits in other people’s names pled guilty on March 24, 2022, in federal court in Sioux City.

Stephanie Mendenhall, age 53, from Hampton, Iowa was convicted of four counts of theft of government funds and one count of money laundering conspiracy.  At a plea hearing, Mendenhall admitted making false claims in the names of others, and depositing the resulting proceeds into her bank account. Mendenhall received fraudulent unemployment benefits paid through the states of Maine, Michigan, Washington, and Illinois, including benefits related to COVID-19 relief funds, to which she was not entitled.  Mendenhall received at least $35,985 in false unemployment benefits.  

On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Mendenhall remains free on bond previously set pending sentencing.  Mendenhall faces a possible maximum sentence of 60 years’ imprisonment, a $1,500,000 fine, and 3 years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Ron Timmons and Tim Vavricek, and was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General. 

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 21-3028.

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A Dickinson County couple who conspired to distribute meth were sentenced on March 31, 2022.  Meghan Renken, 29, from Spirit Lake, pled guilty on September 14, 2021, and Jared Wolthuis, 32, from Milford, Iowa, pled guilty on July 7, 2021, to conspiring to distribute methamphetamine.

At their respective plea and sentencing hearings, evidence showed that Renken and Wolthuis were involved in a conspiracy that distributed more than three pounds of pure methamphetamine between July 2018 and March 2020 in the Dickinson County, Iowa area. On March 17, 2020, law enforcement executed a search warrant at a co-conspirator’s rural residence and seized 20 pounds of methamphetamine from an outbuilding of the residence.  During the course of the execution of the search warrant, law enforcement stopped Renken and Wolthuis driving away from the residence.  Upon a search of the vehicle, law enforcement seized 3 pounds of pure meth that Renken and Wolthuis admitted they planned to distribute to other persons.  Both also distributed ounce quantities of methamphetamine.

Sentencing was held before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Renken was sentenced to 31 months’ imprisonment.  Wolthuis was sentenced to 36 months’ imprisonment.  Each must also serve a three year term of supervised release following imprisonment.  There is no parole in the federal system.  Renken remains in custody of the United States Marshal Service until she can be transported to a federal prison.  Wolthuis was released on the bond previously set and is to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons.   

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and investigated by Tri-State Drug Task Force based in Sioux City, Iowa, that consists of law enforcement personnel from the Drug Enforcement Administration; Sioux City, Iowa, Police Department; Homeland Security Investigations; Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office; South Sioux City, Nebraska, Police Department; Nebraska State Patrol; Iowa National Guard; Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; United States Marshals Service; and the Woodbury County Attorney’s Office, as well as the Iowa State Patrol.

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 20-4050.  Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.

A man who illegally possessed firearms was sentenced March 29, 2022, to more than 2 years in federal prison.

Justin Figueroa, 25, from Sioux City, Iowa, received the prison term after a November 22, 2021, guilty plea to being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm.

Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings showed that from at least 2017 through 2021, Figueroa was an unlawful user of controlled substances, and had been convicted of an April 2020 felony drug offense, both prohibit Figueroa from possessing guns.  However, Figueroa possessed five guns from April 2017 through June 2020, specifically, a 5.56/.223 rifle, two Glock 9mm pistols, a 5.7X28mm pistol, and a .38 caliber revolver.  Figueroa also admitted that he possessed the guns in connection with his felonious drug trafficking, and that on one occasion traded a gun for a controlled substance.  That gun was later found to be part of an attempted murder of a 2-year-old. 

Figueroa was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Figueroa was sentenced to 27 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a 2-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.  Figueroa is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).  PSN is 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 case was investigated by the Spencer Police Department, Clay County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Forde Fairchild. 

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 21-4051.  Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.

A man who illegally possessed a firearm pled guilty on March 28, 2022, in federal court in Cedar Rapids.

Edgar Martinez, Jr., age 35, from Dubuque, Iowa, was convicted of being in possession of a firearm as a person previously convicted of multiple felonies and domestic abuse, and while being an unlawful user of cocaine and marijuana.

At the plea hearing, Martinez admitted to traveling throughout Dubuque in possession of a Black Taurus G2C 9mm caliber pistol, a clear plastic bag containing cocaine, and marijuana.  Martinez also admitted being prohibited from possessing a gun because he has multiple felony convictions and a conviction for domestic abuse.

Sentencing before United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Martinez remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing.  Martinez faces a possible maximum sentence of not more than 10 years’ imprisonment without the possibility of parole, a fine of not more than $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment.

The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Jason D. Norwood and was investigated by the City of Dubuque Police Department’s Drug Task Force and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 22-CR-1006.

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A drug trafficker was sentenced March 25, 2022, to a total of 29 years in federal prison.

Curtis James Johnson, age 36, from Talladega, Alabama, received the prison term after a July 30, 2021 guilty plea to possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance and an August 16, 2021 guilty plea to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

Johnson sold methamphetamine to another individual in May 2021.  Law enforcement’s subsequent searches of two homes led to the discovery of methamphetamine and a loaded firearm at a relative’s residence and a loaded firearm at another residence associated with Johnson.  This all occurred in the Cedar Rapids, Iowa, area.  Johnson was arrested after the searches.

Following his arrest, Johnson called his mother using another inmate’s phone account in the jail and discussed paying a witness to not attend Johnson’s upcoming trial.  Prior to the current conduct, Johnson had amassed a lengthy criminal history, including convictions for battery causing bodily injury and assault causing bodily injury.  Johnson was also previously convicted of burglary and felony drug trafficking offenses.  Evidence at sentencing showed Johnson was also involved in making “hooch” while in jail.

Johnson was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams.  Johnson was sentenced to 288 months’ imprisonment for the drug count and 60 months for the firearm count for a total of 348 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a five-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

Johnson is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Emily K. Nydle and investigated by the Cedar Rapids Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 21-cr-28.

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A Webster City, Iowa man who possessed child pornography was sentenced March 2, 2022, to 11 years in federal prison.  Brady Vandemark, age 37, received the prison term after an October 14, 2021, guilty plea to possession of child pornography.

In a plea agreement, Vandemark admitted to distributing, receiving, and possessing child pornography.  Vandemark’s collection of child pornography contained the equivalent of over 100,000 images, including depictions of minors who had not yet reached 12 years of age.  Before his guilty plea and sentencing, Vandemark ran from law enforcement while on pretrial release.  Vandemark cut off his monitoring device and months later was discovered in a relative’s home, in a closet behind a fake wall with a loaded rifle.  After a lengthy stand-off with law enforcement, where Vandemark was threatening suicide, he was taken into custody without anyone being harmed.  At the sentencing hearing, Vandemark apologized for his behavior and credited an FBI Special Agent, whom he said “saved his life that day.”  

Vandemark was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Vandemark was sentenced to 132 months’ imprisonment.  He was ordered to pay $44,000 in restitution to victims in this case.  He must also serve a 5-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.  For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”

Vandemark is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he be transported to a federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Ron Timmons and Mikala Purdy-Steenholdt, and investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. 

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 19-3044.

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A man who possessed a firearm after being convicted of a felony offense was sentenced today to more than three years in federal prison.

Michael Ray Teel, age 38, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after a September 16, 2021, guilty plea to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Evidence during the case showed that Teel arranged for another individual to purchase a firearm for him.  Teel then possessed the firearm for several months until his state probation officer located the firearm during a home visit.  Teel had previously been convicted of felony assault on a police officer. 

Teel was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams.  Teel was sentenced to 37 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).  PSN is 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.

Teel is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lisa C. Williams and investigated by the Sixth Judicial District Department of Correctional Services and the Cedar Rapids Police Department. 

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 21-CR-42.

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Clinton Kreykes, 40, from Sheldon, Iowa, pleaded guilty on March 23, 2022, to possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.

At the plea hearing, Kreykes admitted that he was previously convicted of a felony offense, namely Burglary – 3rd degree, and was a methamphetamine user.  Both prohibit a person from possessing a firearm.  Evidence showed that on September 16, 2021, as part of Kreykes’ Iowa probation conditions, a compliance check was conducted at Kreykes’ camper in Sibley, Iowa.  The probation officer located drug paraphernalia and Kreykes was arrested.  A search warrant was then issued and executed on the camper when law enforcement located loose prescription pills, a small baggy of methamphetamine, a Mossberg 20-gauge shotgun, shotgun shells, and additional items related to drug use.

Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Kreykes remains in custody of the United States Marshal and will remain in custody pending sentencing.  Kreykes faces a maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).  PSN is 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 case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick T. Greenwood and was investigated by Osceola County Sheriff’s Office and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 21-4078.  Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.

A man who illegally returned to the United States after being deported six times was sentenced today to ten months in federal prison.

Emilio Jimenez-Daniel, age 34, a citizen of Mexico illegally present in the United States and residing in Aurora, Colorado, received the prison term after a guilty plea on November 16, 2021, to one count of illegal reentry into the United States after having been deported.

At the guilty plea, Jimenez-Daniel admitted he had previously been deported from the United States and illegally reentered the United States without the permission of the United States government.  Jimenez-Daniel was deported in September 2003, October 2003, September 2004, May 2011, January 2013, and June 2018.  Jimenez-Daniel was convicted in the Iowa District Court for Johnson County of Operating While Intoxicated, second offense, a felony, in February 2021.  He was also convicted of Driving Under the Influence in Kansas and Driving Under the Influence in Colorado for offenses occurring in July and September 2009. 

Jimenez-Daniel was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams.  Jimenez-Daniel was sentenced to 10 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

Jimenez-Daniel is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel C. Tvedt and investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations.

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.  The case file number is 21-CR-65.

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