Northern District of Iowa

A man who possessed cocaine that he intended to distribute was sentenced today to more than 15 years in federal prison.

Leondraie Antwarn Johnson, age 36, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after a December 29, 2025, guilty plea to one count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance after a conviction for a felony drug offense.

On September 13, 2024, Cedar Rapids Police Department officers stopped Johnson’s car for a traffic violation.  Johnson sped off in his car.  While driving through a residential area, he reached speeds of more than 70 miles per hour.  Johnson eventually stopped, left his car, and tried to elude officers on foot.  Before officers were able to catch Johnson, he placed a bag containing cocaine and marijuana in a yard waste receptacle.  Officers, using a police dog, found the bag that Johnson hid.  At the guilty plea, Johnson admitted he intended to distribute the cocaine.  Johnson was previously convicted of two different felony controlled substance offenses.

Johnson was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Johnson was sentenced to 188 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a six-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 Adam J. Vander Stoep and was investigated by the Cedar Rapids Police Department.  Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

A felon who ran from officers and dropped a gun pled guilty today in federal court in Cedar Rapids.  Darrell Jawon Wilson, age 18, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was convicted of possession of a firearm by a felon. 

Evidence at a prior court hearing demonstrated that on October 1, 2025, in Waterloo, Iowa, officers went to a liquor store because of a report that two men, wearing masks, were walking around the area and looking in cars.  Officers arrived and located the two men.  One man, later identified as Wilson, ran.  An officer chased him and saw him pull out a gun from his waistline.  Wilson fell and dropped the gun.  After Wilson was taken into custody, officers retraced the path of the pursuit and found the gun.  Wilson has felony convictions for conspiracy to commit a forcible felony and going armed with intent.   

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Wilson remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing.  Wilson faces a possible maximum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Devra T. Hake and was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Waterloo Police Department.  

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

The case file number is 25-CR-2067.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

A man who came to the United States in 2022 on a student visa and claimed asylum was sentenced on April 10, 2026, for his involvement in a conspiracy to defraud the government.

Medard Lotahe Elonge, age 40, from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and living in Sioux City, Iowa, received the prison term after a September 8, 2025, guilty plea to conspiracy to defraud the United States.

In January 2022, Elonge entered the United States on a student visa and later applied for asylum.  The mother of his children, who was in the Congo, then participated in a sham or fraudulent marriage in order to come to the United States.  Elonge and his co-conspirators helped arrange the fraudulent marriage and filed a fraudulent petition to bring the family to the United States.  In a plea agreement, Elonge admitted to having another man marry his wife.  Their plan was for the other man to divorce Elonge’s wife six months after Elonge’s family arrived in the United States.      

Elonge was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Elonge was sentenced to 12 months’ and one 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.

Elonge was released on the bond previously set and is to surrender to the United States Marshal on May 4, 2026.  Joseph Onolenga Okamba and Bienvenu Saido Binyangi, who were charged in the same indictment and have also pled guilty, have yet to be sentenced.  Joseph Okoko, who was also charged in the same indictment, was previously sentenced to three months’ imprisonment.  

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew J. Cole and Nicole L. Nagin and was investigated by the Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, the United States Postal Inspection Service, United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Waterloo Police Department, the Sioux City Police Department, and the Iowa Department of Transportation.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

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

The case file number is 24-CR-2052.

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A woman who conspired to distribute methamphetamine was sentenced today to 12 years in federal prison.  Rose Lee Beranek, age 44, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after a September 24, 2025, guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.

In a plea agreement, Beranek admitted that in February 2024, she obtained nearly two pounds of methamphetamine in Arizona.  She was driving to Cedar Rapids to distribute the methamphetamine, when law enforcement officers pulled over her car in Oklahoma.  Law enforcement officers searched her car and found the methamphetamine in vacuum-sealed bags.

Beranek was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Beranek was sentenced to 144 months’ imprisonment and must also serve a 5-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion.  The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad.  Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders.  In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children.  The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.

HSTF Kansas City is headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, covering Missouri, Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska.  HSTF Kansas City is composed of agents and officers from the Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service, the United States Marshals Service, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the State Investigative Agencies for Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, and Nebraska, and the Kansas City Missouri Police Department. 

This HSTF case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Devra T. Hake and investigated by HSTF Kansas City, with the assistance of the Linn County Sheriff’s Office; the Cedar Rapids Police Department; the Marion Police Department; and the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

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

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

The case file number is 25-CR-13.

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A man who possessed with the intent to distribute fentanyl was sentenced today to over 12 years in federal prison.

Alfredo Soberanes, Age 31, from Sioux City, Iowa, received the prison term after a December 4, 2025, guilty plea to one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.

In a plea agreement, Soberanes admitted that around midnight on August 31, 2023, in Sioux City, Iowa, law enforcement attempted a traffic stop on his vehicle but he drove away as officers approached.  Law enforcement did not pursue the vehicle but went to the address in Sioux City associated with the vehicle registration.  Law enforcement were given permission to search the residence where they located Soberanes hiding in the basement.  Found in Soberanes’ possession at arrest was methamphetamine, a stolen firearm, a digital scale, and over 2,500 pills marked “M-30” which contained fentanyl.  For possessing the methamphetamine, defendant was charged by the State and sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment but ultimately served a total of 620 days before he was federally indicted for possession with intent to deliver fentanyl. 

Soberanes was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Soberanes was sentenced to 144 months’ imprisonment but was given credit for 620 days he had served on the related State conviction. He must also serve a four-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick T. Greenwood and was investigated by the Sioux City 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 25-CR-04046.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

A man who illegally reentered the United States from Mexico was sentenced April 9, 2026, to 54 months in federal prison.

Julio Cesar Moreno, age 47, a citizen of Mexico, received the prison term after a November 24, 2025, guilty plea to one count of illegal reentry as a felon.

At the plea and sentencing hearings, evidence showed that on September 15, 2025, Moreno was arrested in Britt, Iowa, for speeding and not having a valid driver’s license. While in custody, officials determined he was a citizen of Mexico and had previously been removed from the United States to Mexico on eight previous occasions. Moreno admitted he illegally reentered the United States without permission and was previously convicted of four aggravated felony offenses while in the United States. Additionally, Moreno had been convicted of two counts of felony deadly conduct in the discharge of a firearm in Hidalgo, Texas, in 2005.

Moreno was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand. Moreno was sentenced to 54 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.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick T. Greenwood and was investigated by the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office and United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

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

The case file number is 25-CR-03047. Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA. 

An Iowa farmer who defrauded federal taxpayers out of more than $1.7 million in agricultural subsidies, stole multiple identities, and stalked a witness, was sentenced today to 13 years in federal prison.

Tanner James Seuntjens, age 33, from Danbury, Iowa, received the prison term after pleading guilty on September 19, 2025, to one count of theft of government funds, one count of aggravated identity theft, one count of crop insurance fraud, and one count of stalking.

Evidence in Seuntjens’ cases established that, between June 2020 and June 2021, he was a Western Iowa farmer who defrauded the United States Department of Agriculture (“USDA”) out of more than $1.5 million in Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (“CFAP”) grant moneys.  Livestock producers qualified for CFAP subsidies on a per head basis that depended upon the producer’s self-certified livestock inventory.  Seuntjens filed CFAP applications at three Iowa county USDA-Farm Service Agency (“FSA”) offices that each falsely claimed ownership of thousands of swine.  Seuntjens forged the signatures of two other people when filing the applications with USDA.  Seuntjens later submitted false documents to USDA-FSA county commissioners who were attempting to verify the USDA payments during so-called “spot checks.”           

From March 2021 through April 2022, Seuntjens defrauded a South Dakota bank.  Seuntjens borrowed funds from the bank as early as 2014 and pledged his accounts receivable as collateral, which included payments from the sales of grain and livestock. As a result, when Seuntjens sold grain and livestock at a cooperative and an auction, the bank required the cooperative and auction to issue two-party checks to Seuntjens and the bank.  Seuntjens forged an authorized representative of the bank’s signature on two-party checks at least 20 times and.  He deprived the bank of more than $400,000 of its collateral.  Seuntjens spent the diverted funds on a combination of farming expenditures, a trip to Cocoa Beach and Disney World, transfers to family members, and large cash withdrawals.

Seuntjens committed crop insurance fraud in 2022 and 2023.  Crop insurance is a federally subsidized program where farmers may receive payment from an authorized insurer in the event of adverse weather, fire, disease, or price declines.  Seuntjens admitted he repeatedly underreported his crop yields during the 2022 and 2023 crop seasons and received crop insurance funds to which he was not entitled.  Seuntjens stole an additional $175,000 from federal taxpayers through this crop insurance fraud.

In 2023 and 2024, Seuntjens defrauded multiple agricultural suppliers by selling their collateral out of trust.  He also sold livestock and grain in a third party’s name to avoid creditors’ liens and judgments.

Seuntjens stalked one of the victims of his agricultural fraud case, even though there were no contact orders forbidding him from having contact with that witness.  In an unrelated state court case, the Iowa District Court for Woodbury County had found that Seuntjens had assaulted the witness and planted a tracking device on a minor. The Iowa District Court stated the court was “deeply concerned” about the safety of minors if Seuntjens were allowed to have contact with them and issued a no contact order.  In August 2025, while the Iowa District Court’s no contact order was in effect, and while Seuntjens also was on federal pretrial release, Seuntjens travelled to Nebraska and placed a tracking device on the witness’s car.  Seuntjens admitted he did so with the intent to harass and intimidate the witness and to place the person under surveillance.

A federal judge detained Seuntjens for his stalking activity, and the U.S. Marshal held Seuntjens in custody at a local jail. While in jail in late 2025, however, Seuntjens repeatedly contacted the minors.  The Iowa District Court found in March 2026 found Seuntjens in contempt of court.

Seuntjens has a significant criminal history involving fraud and violence.  In 2020, Seuntjens received a deferred judgment for a felony second-degree theft conviction.  In 2023, Seuntjens was convicted of third-degree theft and fined after he presented the state court with a bad check to “pay” his restitution obligations in the prior second-degree theft case.  In 2024 and 2025, Seuntjens received three additional fines from the state court after pleading guilty to disorderly conduct in three separate cases.  Seuntjens received those fines after he put his hands on the victim’s throat causing fingernail markings on both sides of the victim’s neck.  He also pushed his victim into a counter, followed the victim around town, called the victim from a blocked number, and violated a protective order.

Seuntjens was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Seuntjens was sentenced to 156 months’ imprisonment.  He was ordered to make $1,704,434.74 in restitution to the USDA. He must also serve a five-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.  Seuntjens is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The core mission of the Fraud Division is to zealously investigate and prosecute those who steal or fraudulently misuse taxpayer dollars.  Department of Justice efforts to combat fraud support President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Timothy Vavricek and Shawn Wehde and investigated by the United States Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General and Special Investigations Staff. 

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

The case file numbers are 25-CR-4026 and 25-CR-4052.

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On April 7, 2026, Ry Tyler, 36, from Sioux City, Iowa, was sentenced to federal prison after a November 24, 2025, guilty plea to one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography, in federal court in Sioux City.

Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings showed that in January 2025, law enforcement received a report that Tyler was accessing child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) on Russian websites.  Tyler appeared on a podcast for sex addicts where he expressed a sexual interest in children and persistent thoughts of children in sexual situations.  Tyler admitted to recently deleting images off his computer and told law enforcement the images would be considered “appalling.”  A search of Tyler’s electronics revealed child pornography, child erotica, and child pornography search terms.  A forensic examination of Tyler’s electronic devices revealed over 2,100 images and 5 videos of child pornography.  The videos and images included infants and toddlers as well as sadistic and masochistic conduct.

United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand sentenced Tyler to 66 months’ imprisonment along with a 5-year term of supervised release after release from prison.  There is no parole in the federal system.  Tyler remains in custody of the U.S. Marshals Service until he can be transported to a federal prison.

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.”

The case was investigated by the Sioux City Police Department and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kraig R. Hamit.  

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

The case file number is 25-4025.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

A woman who distributed a mixture of fentanyl, heroin, and xylazine that caused an overdose death was sentenced April 6, 2026, to 21 years in federal prison.

Bridgette Marie Washington, age 47, from Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison term after a September 22, 2025, guilty plea to one count of distribution of a controlled substance resulting in death.

Court records show that between July 2022 and January 2023, Washington and two other individuals sold methamphetamine, powder heroin, and M-30 pills which contained fentanyl.  Washington sold drugs that led to four non-fatal overdoses in September, November, and December 2022.  On January 2, 2023, Washington sold substances she marketed as “A1” drugs (meaning that they were potent) to multiple customers.  Each person who used the drugs Washington sold on that day lost consciousness.  One individual who used some of the drugs died as a result of using them.  Washington had an extensive criminal history, including convictions for 15 felony offenses prior to the conduct that led to her federal charge.  

Washington was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Washington was sentenced to 252 months’ imprisonment.  She must also serve a six-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

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

The case was investigated by the Tri-County Drug Enforcement Task Force consisting of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, Waterloo Police Department, Cedar Falls Police Department, Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Department, Evansdale Police Department, Waverly Police Department, Hudson Police Department, La Porte City Police Department, the Bremer County Sheriff’s Department, and Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Nicole Nagin and Dan Chatham.  

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

The case file number is 25-CR-02014-CJW-MAR.

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Todd Babb, 62, from Sioux City, Iowa, was sentenced in federal court in Sioux City on April 6, 2026, to 210 months’ imprisonment.  Babb pled guilty November 19, 2025, to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. 

Evidence showed that Babb was previously convicted of at least five prior felony drug offenses, one in Iowa District Court and one in Federal Court in the Northern District of Iowa.  Babb admitted that between 2018 and August 2024, he and others conspired to distribute more than 500 grams of mixed methamphetamine in the Sioux City area.  During a search of Babb’s residence, law enforcement seized over $3,000 in cash and ¼ pound of methamphetamine which he intended to distribute to others.  Approximately one pound of methamphetamine was also seized from a vehicle observed driving away from Babb’s residence.

United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand sentenced Babb to 210 months’ imprisonment, and he must serve a ten-year term of supervised release following imprisonment.  There is no parole in the federal system.  Babb 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 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 24-4068.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

A man who received child pornography was sentenced today to a decade in federal prison.

Robert Thiemann, age 38, from Evansdale, Iowa, received the prison term after a November 7, 2026, guilty plea to one count of receiving child pornography.

Information at sentencing showed that between October 2020 and October 2022, Thiemann downloaded visual depictions of child pornography.  In October 2022, the Federal Bureau of Investigation received a tip that Thiemann had uploaded an image of child pornography to an “adult chat” website.  Following the tip, FBI agents searched Thiemann’s home in Evansdale.  Officers seized an iPhone with images and videos of child pornography, including of prepubescent minors.  Thiemann also had depictions of child pornography involving sadistic and masochistic conduct.

Thiemann was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Thiemann was sentenced to 120 months’ imprisonment.  He was ordered to make $18,000 in restitution to six victims.  He must also serve a five-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.”

Thiemann 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 Anthony Morfitt and investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation assisted by the Evansdale Police Department.  

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

The case file number is 25-cr-2028.

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United States Attorney Leif Olson announced today his appointments to the leadership team for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa.

“These men and women are dedicated to our Office’s mission of protecting the public and upholding the rule of law,” said Olson. “Like all of our attorneys and support staff, each member of our leadership team has made a career of working with our federal, state, and local law-enforcement partners to secure justice, whether that’s in civil cases or criminal prosecutions. I’m proud to have each of these public servants on our team serving the people of Northern Iowa.”

• Matthew Cole, First Assistant U.S. Attorney. Cole has been appointed to continue his service as First Assistant U.S. Attorney, the second in command of the Office. He has held this position since 2022. Cole joined the Office in 1999 and previously served as Civil Chief and Deputy Criminal Chief. Before joining the Office, Cole was a judicial law clerk and assistant county attorney. Cole has received awards and recognition for his work on behalf of the United States, including the Assistant Attorney General’s Award for outstanding work in an affirmative civil fraud prosecution; the Director’s Award for Superior Performance on a Litigation Team; the USDA Secretary Award for Excellence in Asset Recovery and Litigation; and the National Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Award for outstanding contributions to law enforcement and the OCDETF program. Cole is a graduate of Wheaton College and Drake University Law School.
   
• Ashley Corkery, Criminal Chief. Corkery has been appointed to serve as Criminal Chief. She joined the Department of Justice in 2014 and has served as Deputy Criminal Chief since 2019, where she oversaw prosecutions involving narcotics and violent crime. She has been recognized for outstanding service and investigations by the United States Postal Inspection Service, Midwest High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, and Illinois Metropolitan Enforcement Group Directors and Task Force Commanders Association. Before joining DOJ, Corkery was a prosecutor for the Southeast Iowa Interagency Drug Task Force, where she focused on drug-trafficking offenses and asset forfeiture. She is a graduate of the University of Iowa and the Drake University Law School.
   
• Timothy Duax, Branch Chief. Duax has been appointed to continue his service as Branch Chief of the Sioux City Branch Office. He previously served as First Assistant and was the court-appointed U.S. Attorney from 2022–2025. Before joining the Office Duax served for four years as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, or AUSA, in the District of Arizona and for ten years as a prosecutor in the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office in Phoenix. Duax is a graduate of Dartmouth College and the Arizona State University College of Law.
   
• Brandon Gray, Civil Chief. Gray has been appointed to continue his service as the Civil Chief, a role he has held since 2023. Gray joined the Office in 2022 as a civil AUSA, investigating and litigating cases related to fraud on the government; defending federal agencies and officials in court; and collecting debts owed to the United States. Before joining the Office, Gray worked in private practice in Cedar Falls and was an Assistant Attorney General in the Revenue Division of the Iowa Attorney General’s Office. He is a graduate of Iowa State University and the University of Iowa College of Law.
   
• Mark Tremmel, Appellate Chief. Tremmel has been appointed to continue his service as the Appellate Chief. In that role he supervises post-trial proceedings and matters pending before the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. Tremmel joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office in 2007 after serving as an Assistant Wapello County Attorney and the Wapello County Attorney. He also served in the Iowa House of Representatives from 2001 to 2003. Tremmel is a graduate of Georgetown University and the University of Chicago Law School.
   
• Jack Lammers and Shawn Wehde, Senior Litigation Counsel. Lammers and Wehde have been appointed to serve as Senior Litigation Counsel. In that role, they are responsible for handling the most complex of the Office’s cases and for training and mentoring AUSAs.
  Lammers joined the Office in 2001 as a Special Assistant United States Attorney prosecuting narcotics cases and became an AUSA in 2004. He served as Deputy Branch Chief from 2017–2022 and as Chief of the Criminal Division from 2022 until being appointed SLC. From 2015 to 2016, Lammers served as a legal advisor at the American Embassy in Bangladesh helping improve prosecution of transnational crime. Before joining the Office, Lammers was a state court prosecutor in Black Hawk County and in private practice in Bremerton, Washington. Lammers is a graduate of the University of Northern Iowa and Drake University Law School.
  Wehde joined the Office in November 1999 after serving as an Assistant Black Hawk County Attorney from 1989 to 1999, the last three years as the First Assistant. Wehde served as a judicial law clerk for two years before becoming a prosecutor. Wehde is a litigation and trial specialist, primarily prosecuting various types of drug trafficking and firearms offenses, as well as white collar and immigration cases. He has served as a training lecturer and panel facilitator at DOJ’s National Advocacy Center on numerous occasions. Wehde is a graduate of The University of Iowa’s College of Business and College of Law.
   
• Daniel Chatham, Deputy Criminal Chief. Dan Chatham has been appointed to continue his service as Deputy Criminal Chief, a role he has held since 2022. He joined the Office in 2008 after completing a clerkship with the Iowa Supreme Court and primarily prosecuted drug and firearms crimes. In 2020, he received a Director’s Award for Superior Performance as a Criminal AUSA based on his work in prosecuting drug overdose cases. Chatham is a graduate of the University of South Dakota and the University of Iowa College of Law.
   
• Timothy Vavricek, Deputy Criminal Chief. Vavricek has been appointed as Deputy Criminal Chief. Vavricek has served as an AUSA in his native Cedar Rapids since 2014 and has primarily focused on complex fraud and money-laundering cases, including crimes involving the theft of taxpayer money and financial scams perpetrated against the elderly. Before joining the Office, Vavricek served as an Iowa Assistant Attorney General and clerked for several federal and state judges. He is a member of the Eighth Circuit Subcommittee on Model Criminal Jury Instructions. Vavricek earned his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Iowa and a graduate degree from the University of North Carolina.
   
• Todd Voter, Law Enforcement Coordinator. Voter has been appointed to continue as Law Enforcement Coordinator, a position he has held since 2016. Voter joined the Office in 2003 after retiring from the U.S. Army as a Master Sergeant, with a final assignment at the Defense Intelligence Agency. He holds a Master of Science of Strategic Intelligence from the Joint Military Intelligence College in Washington, D.C. Voter has been involved in numerous federal prosecutions focused on national-security issues and has been integral in public outreach efforts, as well as training local, state, and federal law enforcement agents on DOJ priorities.
   
• Carmen McElwee, Administrative Officer. McElwee has been appointed to continue as Administrative Officer, supervising the office’s budget, contracting, financial, human-resources, IT, and other administrative staff and functions. She joined the Office in 2007 and served in a variety of administrative roles before her initial appointment as Administrative Officer in 2020.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa prosecutes federal criminal offenses and defends the federal government’s interests in civil cases in 52 of the state’s 99 counties. The headquarters office is in Cedar Rapids with a branch office in Sioux City. It routinely ranks among the busiest of the 25 U.S. Attorney’s Offices of comparable size.

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An illegal alien and Mexican citizen who unlawfully reentered the U.S.A. after being previously removed was sentenced today to six months in federal prison.  

Christian Vega-Camacho, age 29, from Guadalupe, Mexico, received the prison term after a January 16, 2026, guilty plea to one count of illegal reentry.

At the guilty plea, Vega-Camacho admitted he had previously been removed from the U.S.A. in 2018.  Sometime later, he reentered the country without permission.  In April 2021, law enforcement officers arrested Vega-Camacho in Decorah, Iowa.  He was using fraudulent documents to work in the country.  Vega-Camacho was released from custody pending trial.  Vega-Camacho fled from release in June 2021.  His whereabouts were unknown until he was arrested in Postville, Iowa, in November 2025.  

Vega-Camacho was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Vega-Camacho was sentenced to six 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.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

Vega-Camacho 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 Anthony Morfitt and investigated by Immigrations and Custom 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-2027.

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A man who repeatedly threatened to kill a victim was sentenced today to two years in federal prison.

Kyle Ryan Cook, age 36, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after an October 31, 2025, guilty plea to one count of interstate communications with a threat to injure.  

Evidence at a prior court hearing and at the sentencing hearing showed that between May and June 2025, Cook repeatedly threatened to kill a victim who was not in Iowa via Facebook Messenger.  His threats were graphic and specific.  After Cook was arrested and was being transported to a court hearing in this case, Cook told federal agents that he was going to kill the victim and put her “six feet in the ground.”  Cook has 21 adult convictions, including violent convictions for battery, disorderly conduct, domestic abuse, and assault causing bodily injury.  

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

Cook 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 Devra T. Hake 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 25-CR-71.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

A man who sexually exploited children, possessed child pornography, and possessed a stolen firearm pled guilty today in federal court in Cedar Rapids.

Parker Jon Thompson, age 20, from Mason City, Iowa, was convicted of sexual exploitation of children, possession of child pornography, and possession of a stolen firearm.

Evidence at a prior court hearing demonstrated that in June 2025, Thompson helped his friends plan a burglary at a gun shop in Mason City.  His friends stole several guns and gave at least two of the guns to Thompson.  Law enforcement officers searched Thompson’s phone while investigating the burglary.  Officers found child pornography on the phone.  Additional investigation revealed that Thompson recorded multiple children engaged in sexually explicit conduct.  Thompson also asked a child to send him depictions of the child engaging in sex acts. 

At a plea hearing, Thompson admitted that between March 2024 and September 2025, he used, persuaded, induced, and enticed minors to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing visual depictions of such conduct.  Between June 2024 and April 2025, Thompson possessed depictions of child pornography.  In June 2025, Thompson possessed a stolen firearm.

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.”

This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Thompson remains in custody of the United States Marshal.  Thompson faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of 50 years’ imprisonment, a $750,000 fine, $77,300 in special assessments, and a lifetime term of supervised release following any imprisonment.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Devra T. Hake and Kyndra Lundquist and was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Mason City Police Department, the Cerro Gordo Sheriff’s Office, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, and the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement.  

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

The case file numbers are 25-CR-2054 and 26-CR-3011.

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A former farmer who lied to a small-town Iowa bank to get a farm operating line of credit was sentenced April 1, 2026, to six months in federal prison.

Mashon Van Mill, age 41, from Shell Rock, Iowa, received the prison term after an October 15, 2025, guilty plea to making a false statement to a financial institution.

In a plea agreement, Van Mill admitted he lied to the bank he had been banking at for nearly two years.  Van Mill applied for a $1,000,000 farm operating line of credit with the bank.  To secure the loan, Van Mill provided the bank with a balance sheet purporting to show assets he owned to use as collateral for the loan.  The balance sheet showed he possessed over $2,000,000 worth of corn in storage.  Van Mill lied about the corn.  He did not possess any corn in storage.

An employee of the bank got suspicious and began checking whether Van Mill had lied.  In doing so, he sent a letter to the owner of an elevator in which Van Mill had claimed to be storing corn.  The bank employee received a letter back, which was purportedly signed by the elevator owner indicating Van Mill had corn in storage.  When law enforcement officers later showed the letter to him, the elevator owner denied sending it and said he had never seen the letter from the bank.  He also confirmed Van Mill had no corn in storage at the elevator at the time of the lie.  Law enforcement officers determined Van Mill had also lied about money he was owed and farm equipment he owned. 

By the time his deceit was discovered, the bank had lent Van Mill $873,118.71 on the line of credit.  Van Mill defaulted on the entire amount, as well as on several other loans from the bank.   

Van Mill was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Van Mill was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment.  He was ordered to make $873,118.71 in restitution to the victim bank.  At the time of sentencing, the victim bank had recovered $258,110.17 from Van Mill by garnishing Van Mill’s wages and Van Mill’s sale of various pieces of property.   Van Mill must also serve a five-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

Van Mill was released on the bond previously set and is to surrender to the United States Marshal on April 27, 2026.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Anthony Morfitt and investigated by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation – 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 25-cr-76.

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Floyd Garcia, age 51, from Moville, Iowa, was sentenced March 27, 2026, to 20 years in federal prison for kidnapping.

Evidence showed that in August 2020, Garcia tricked a young woman into leaving her home with him in his pickup truck, ostensibly for a painting job. Instead, he isolated her, held her against her will, and repeatedly sexually assaulted her. He then threatened her life and her family to keep her from reporting the crime to police. On February 23, 2021, Garcia tried to trick her out of her house again, but she told her family and refused to leave. 

In a November 19, 2025, plea agreement, Garcia admitted to kidnapping and sexually exploiting the young woman in August 2020 and to attempting to do so again in February 2021. He also admitted to a September 2005 sexual assault in North Dakota that had been unearthed during the investigation. 

Garcia was previously convicted in 2005 in Bexar County, Texas, of aggravated kidnapping, assault, burglary, and a number of alcohol-related offenses.

“Thanks to the bravery of these two women, a kidnapping rapist is off the street for the next two decades,” said United States Attorney Leif Olson. “Their courage in the face of this convict’s violence and his threats against their lives was key in the investigation and prosecution. The public’s trust in the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law-enforcement partners is crucial to our ability to hold criminals accountable in cases like this, which is why we work every day to be worthy of that trust.”

Garcia was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand to 240 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.

Garcia 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 Woodbury County, Iowa, Sheriff’s Department and the United States Department of Justice’s Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being 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 25-4038.

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Shaninth Michael Ray, age 38, from Chicago, Illinois, pled guilty today in federal court in Sioux City to Cyberstalking.

In a plea agreement, Ray admitted that between April 2023 and October 2023, he continuously threatened to kill an Iowa resident and members of their family, after a no contact order was issued against Ray.  Ray made his threats via telephone, text message and video, through numerous platforms, stating he would, “end” the victim’s life and “bash [the victim’s] face in with a rock,” as well as threatened to kill the victim in other various ways.  In one of Ray’s videos he sent, he explicitly threatened to end the victims’ life and displayed a firearm. 

Ray was arrested in Minnesota in October 2023 for possession of a firearm as a convicted felon.  Ray continued to contact the victim while in custody in Minnesota and Iowa.  Ray’s criminal history also includes numerous domestic abuse convictions, violations of protection orders, interference with emergency communications, assault causing bodily harm, possession of controlled substances, harassment, and obstruction.

Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Ray remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing.  Ray faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 1 year imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and 3 years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

This case is being investigated by the Mason City, Iowa Police Department and is prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Ron Timmons and Ashley Corkery. 

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

The case file number is 24-3015.

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Issac Rayford, age 32, from Sioux City, was sentenced March 26, 2026, to 4 years in federal prison after an October 21, 2025, guilty plea to Possession of a Firearm by a Felon, Drug User, and Domestic Abuse Misdemeanant.

Evidence in the case revealed that on November 2, 2024, Rayford’s girlfriend found his loaded firearm sitting on the toilet bowl as he showered.  Scared of what he might do with the gun, she hid the weapon.  Rayford discovered it was gone and violently attacked his girlfriend.  He threw her to the ground, put his whole-body weight on her face, picked her up and threw her on the floor, put his hands around her neck, and broke her clavicle.  When he began searching for the gun elsewhere, she escaped the apartment, and a neighbor called police.  Rayford fled the scene on foot prior to officers’ arrival.  On November 4, 2024, the girlfriend called law enforcement and reported that she had seen Rayford on her security camera entering her home.  Officers arrived and Rayford was taken into custody without further incident.          

Rayford’s criminal history includes convictions for two serious assaults, domestic abuse assault causing bodily injury, disorderly conduct where actually “he grabbed and choked” a female, disorderly conduct where he actually jeopardized a baby and threatened others, interfering with official acts by running from police to avoid arrest, driving while barred or suspended, and failing to appear for court.

Rayford was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand to 48 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 is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

Rayford 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 and the United States Department of Justice’s Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF).  This 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 25-4017.

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A man who conspired to distribute methamphetamine was sentenced today to 10 years in federal prison.

Victor Ineson, age 50, from Mason City, Iowa, received the prison term after November 24, 2025, guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.

At the plea and sentencing hearings, Ineson admitted that between about April 2024 and continuing to December 2024, he and another utilized the “dark web” to purchase approximately three pounds of methamphetamine which was shipped to them from the U.S. Postal Service for further distribution in the Iowa area.  Ineson was previously convicted in 2017 in federal court of manufacturing counterfeit currency.

Ineson was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Ineson was sentenced to 120 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.  Ineson 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 Patrick T. Greenwood and investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Clear Lake Police Department, and the Cerro Gordo Sheriff’s Office.  

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.  
The case file number is 25-CR-03030.

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Anthony Neuroth, 49, from Kamrar, Iowa, pled guilty March 25, 2026, in federal court in Sioux City.  Neuroth was convicted of one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and one count of distributing methamphetamine. 

Neuroth was previously convicted of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and distribution and aiding and abetting another in the distribution of methamphetamine, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Iowa, in September 2007.

At the plea hearing, Neuroth admitted that between about November 2022 through about February 2024 he and others conspired to distribute more than 150 grams of methamphetamine. On four occasions in 2022 and 2023 Neuroth distributed ½ ounce quantities of methamphetamine to an individual cooperating with law enforcement.   

Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Neuroth remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing.  Neuroth faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment, a $8,000,000 fine, and at least eight years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

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, Iowa State Patrol, Webster County Sheriff’s Office, and Webster City Police Department.  

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

The case file number is 25-3035.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

A man who illegally reentered the United States after being deported as a felon was sentenced today to four years in federal prison.

David Pineda-Medrano, age 39, from Guatemala but had been residing in Rolfe, Iowa, received the prison term after an October 29, 2025, guilty plea to one count of being a felony found after illegal reentry.

At the plea and sentencing hearings, Pineda-Medrano admitted he had illegally reentered the United States after a June 2022 removal.  Prior to his removal in 2022, he was convicted of Attempted First Degree Sexual Abuse and Sexual Abuse of a Child or Minor in the District of Columbia and served more than four years in prison.  At some point after his removal, defendant illegally reentered the United States.  He was found in Rolfe after he was arrested and convicted of Assault Causing Bodily Injury or Mental Illness when he used an 18-inch machete to strike another in the head with the flat side of the blade, which caused injury, and then placed the blade against the victim’s throat and threated to kill him.    

Pineda-Medrano was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Pineda-Medrano was sentenced to 48 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.  He is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick T. Greenwood and investigated by Enforcement and Removal Office of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Bureau. 

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

The case file number is 25-CR-03041.

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Pry’Shayn Mosley, 21, from Fort Dodge, Iowa, was sentenced March 23, 2026, to 25 years’ imprisonment, in federal court in Sioux City, Iowa.  Mosley pled guilty November 12, 2025, to one count of sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of distribution of child pornography. 

At the plea hearing, Mosley admitted that between May 2022 and October 2022 he enticed two minors under the age of 18 to engage in sexually explicit conduct in order to produce visual depictions of such conduct.  Mosley further admitted to possessing and distributing this child pornography to other persons, including children.  During the investigation, a search warrant was executed at Mosley’s residence.  Law enforcement seized several electronic devices along with marijuana, drug distribution paraphernalia, cash, and two loaded firearms.  Also, during the search, Mosley convinced a juvenile at the residence to retrieve a package of drugs from another room and attempt to discard the drugs - cocaine, methamphetamine and fentanyl – so the police would not find them.  Officers observed the juvenile and stopped him before he could destroy the evidence.  The child pornography created and distributed to children by Mosely involved material that portrayed sadistic or masochistic conduct. 

United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand sentenced Mosley to 300 months’ imprisonment and 5-years of supervised release.  There is no parole in the federal system.  Mosley must also pay $700 in fines and assessments.  Mosley remains in custody of the United States Marshal until he can be transported to a federal prison. 

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.”

The case was investigated by the Fort Dodge Police Department and Webster County Sheriff’s Office and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kraig R. Hamit.   

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

The case file number is 25-3002.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

A felon who perpetrated an extensive scheme involving fraudulent U.S. Treasury checks at Eastern Iowa financial institutions in 2023 pled guilty on March 24, 2026, in federal court in Cedar Rapids.  Tyrone Terrell Harris, age 34, from Chicago, Illinois, was convicted of five counts of theft of government property, five counts of aggravated identity theft, one count of money laundering, and one count of money laundering conspiracy.

Evidence presented at Harris’s detention hearings, as well as at other hearings in related cases, showed that Harris provided fraudulent U.S. Treasury checks to co-conspirators for presentation to Eastern Iowa financial institutions.  The co-conspirators had fake driver’s licenses in the names of the persons to whom the U.S. Treasury had issued the checks and possessed these victims’ social security numbers and dates of birth.  The co-conspirators then opened bank accounts in the victims’ names and quickly withdrew the fraud proceeds in cash to evade detection by law enforcement.

At his plea hearing, Harris admitted his involvement with five stolen U.S. Treasury checks in August and September 2023, with a combined face value of over $300,000 and in the names of five different victims.  Harris also admitted that he personally withdrew $9,000 in fraud proceeds in cash to conceal the location of the fraud proceeds.  Finally, Harris admitted that, between June and September 2023, he conspired with others to launder the fraud proceeds. 

Harris has prior criminal convictions in Illinois, Georgia, and Oklahoma.  He has prior felony convictions for attempting to elude a police officer, driving a motor vehicle under the influence, and running a roadblock in Oklahoma.

Harris is the latest defendant to plead guilty in the Northern District of Iowa as part of the fraudulent U.S. Treasury check scheme.  Other individuals convicted include:

Edgar Stacey Delgado, age 32, from East Los Angeles, California, was convicted of one count of Forged Endorsement on a U.S. Treasury Check and one count of Aggravated Identity Theft.  On February 26, 2025, Delgado was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment and three years of supervised release, and he was also ordered to pay $201,510.69 in restitution.

Irvin Lantern, age 68, from Chicago, Illinois, was convicted of one count of Forged Endorsement on a U.S. Treasury Check and one count of Aggravated Identity Theft.  On February 4, 2025, Lantern was sentenced to 24 months’ imprisonment and three years of supervised release, and he was also ordered to pay $33,000 in restitution.  Lantern has an extensive criminal history in Illinois.

Dale Ford, age 60, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was convicted of one count of Forged Endorsement on a U.S. Treasury Check and one count of Aggravated Identity Theft.  On March 14, 2025, Ford was sentenced to 36 months’ imprisonment and three years of supervised release, and he was also ordered to pay $91,916 in restitution.  Ford had over 30 prior criminal convictions by the time of his federal sentencing hearing.

Tim Dale Howe, age 62, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was convicted of one count of Forged Endorsement on a U.S. Treasury Check and one count of Money Laundering Conspiracy.  On July 28, 2025, Howe was sentenced to 6 months of imprisonment, 6 months of home confinement, and three years of supervised release, and he was ordered to pay $87,851.37 in restitution.  Howe previously was convicted in Florida in 2005 for committing a sex offense against a child.

Cornelius Devon Hicks, age 50, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was convicted of one count of Forged Endorsement on a U.S. Treasury Check and one count of Money Laundering.  On July 7, 2025, Hicks was sentenced to 41 months’ imprisonment and three years of supervised release, and he was ordered to pay $47,175.65 in restitution.  Hicks has an extensive criminal history in Iowa and Tennessee.

Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Harris remains in the custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing.  Harris faces a mandatory minimum sentence of two years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of 100 years’ imprisonment, a $3.5 million fine, and three years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Timothy L. Vavricek and was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  The Cedar Rapids Police Department assisted in the investigation.

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

The case file numbers are 25-CR-97 (Harris), 23-CR-90 (Delgado), 23-CR-49 (Ford), 23-CR-2077 (Lantern), 24-CR-63 (Howe), and 24-CR-80 (Hicks).

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A man who sexually exploited children and received child pornography pled guilty on March 23, 2026, in federal court in Cedar Rapids.  Steven William Acklin, age 28, formerly from Waterloo, Iowa, was convicted of sexual exploitation of children and receipt of child pornography.

At the plea hearing, Acklin admitted that between January 2024 and September 2024, Acklin persuaded, induced, and enticed multiple minors to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing visual depictions of that conduct.  Between October 2023 and November 2024, he received child pornography.

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.”

Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Acklin remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing.  Acklin faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of 50 years’ imprisonment, a $500,000 fine, and a lifetime of supervised release following any imprisonment.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Devra T. Hake and was 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 25-CR-2058.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

Sergio Niz-Mendez, age 27, from Guatemala, pled guilty to illegal reentry and failure to register as a sex offender on March 23, 2026, in federal court in Sioux City.

At the plea hearing, Niz-Mendez admitted he was a citizen of Guatemala, that he had previously been removed from the United States in 2018, and that he had not sought permission to legally be in the United States.  He further admitted that due to a 2016 rape of a child with force conviction in Massachusetts, he was required to register as a sex offender which he failed to do.  Niz-Mendez was found in O’Brien County, Iowa, after he was arrested for operating while intoxicated and eluding.     

Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is complete.  He remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing.  For the illegal reentry conviction, he faces a maximum sentence of two years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and one year of supervised release.  For the failure to register conviction, he faces a maximum of 10 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and five years to life of supervise release.  

This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick T. Greenwood and was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security.  

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

The case file number is 25-CR-4065.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

A man who illegally possessed a firearm pled guilty March 24, 2026, in federal court in Sioux City.

Miguel Lopez, 31, from Fort Dodge, Iowa, was convicted of being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm.  

At the plea hearing, Lopez admitted to possessing a 9mm pistol on August 7, 2025, in Fort Dodge, Iowa.  Law enforcement located the firearm after they observed Lopez dumping it outside his car window during a traffic stop.  Lopez has four prior drug-related felony convictions.  As a felon, Lopez is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition.   

Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Lopez remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing.  Lopez faces a possible maximum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick T. Greenwood and was investigated by the Fort Dodge 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 25-CR-3045.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

Paul Diamond Sanchez, 52, from Carroll, Iowa, was sentenced on March 23, 2026, to 78 months’ imprisonment.  Sanchez pled guilty on November 20, 2025, to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, in federal court in Sioux City.

Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings showed that from July 2024 through May 2025 Sanchez and others distributed at least 35 grams of pure methamphetamine in the Carroll, Iowa area.  On two occasions in the summer of 2024, Sanchez distributed a total of over 25 grams of pure methamphetamine to an individual cooperating with law enforcement.  During a traffic stop in October 2024, Sanchez had over 9 grams of pure methamphetamine in his pants pocket which he admitted he obtained to sell to another person or persons.  

United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand sentenced Sanchez to 78 months’ imprisonment, and a term of four years supervised release.  There is no parole in the federal system.  Sanchez 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 Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Crawford County Sheriff’s Office, Manning Police Department, Iowa State Patrol, and Iowa DCI Laboratory.  

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

The case file number is 25-3022.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

A Chicago man who distributed methamphetamine and fentanyl was sentenced on March 20, 2026, to more than 15 years in federal prison. 

Devon Frazier, age 26, from Chicago, Illinois, received the prison term after a December 20, 2024, guilty plea to one count of distribution of methamphetamine and one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.        

Information disclosed at the sentencing hearing showed that, on February 8, 2023, Frazier distributed over 111 grams of ice methamphetamine to another individual.  On February 13, 2023, Frazier distributed 282 grams of purported methamphetamine to another individual.  Laboratory testing confirmed that the purported methamphetamine was in fact sea salt.  Following the transaction, officers stopped a car occupied by Frazier and arrested him.  While officers transported Frazier to the Linn County Correctional Center, Frazier dropped a baggie of 362 pills containing fentanyl onto the floorboard of the patrol car.  Officers later recovered the baggie.  

Evidence at the sentencing hearing also showed that, on March 3, 2023, Frazier distributed a purported Xanax pill to a 19‑year‑old female.  The purported Xanax pill, however, contained fentanyl.  The female ingested the pill in the early morning hours of March 4, 2023, and suffered a fentanyl‑related overdose and died.  Following the overdose, Frazier threatened to kill individuals that he believed were cooperating with law enforcement.  

Frazier was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Frazier was sentenced to 190 months’ imprisonment, and he must also serve a five‑year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.     

Frazier 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 Cedar Rapids Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Johnson County Drug Enforcement Task Force.  

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

The case file number is 23‑CR‑00080‑CJW.

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Marcus Hill, 53, from Fort Dodge, Iowa, was sentenced in federal court in Sioux City on March 20, 2026, to 144 months’ imprisonment.  Hill pled guilty November 7, 2025, to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and distribution of methamphetamine near a protected location.

At the plea hearing in November, Hill admitted that between 2018 and March 2025, he conspired to distribute methamphetamine in the Fort Dodge, Iowa area.  Hill distributed over 300 grams of pure methamphetamine to an individual cooperating with law enforcement on three separate occasions in March of 2025.  One of those distributions occurred within 1,000 feet of a protected location, namely Deercreek Apartments, a public housing authority in Fort Dodge. 

United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand sentenced Hill to 144 months’ imprisonment, and a term of 10 years supervised release.  There is no parole in the federal system.  Hill 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 Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Webster County Sheriff’s Office, Fort Dodge Police Department, Iowa State Patrol, and Iowa DCI Laboratory.  

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

The case file number is 25-3034.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

Anthony Girard, age 40, from Sioux City, Iowa, was sentenced today to 97 months’ imprisonment.  Girard pled guilty to receiving child pornography on November 12, 2025, in federal court in Sioux City.

Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings showed that from September 2023 through January 13, 2025, Girard received and possessed child pornography.  Girard admitted he used file sharing services to exchange over 24,000 files over the course of two years.  During the investigation, agents from around Iowa were able to connect Girard’s IP address to thousands of files of child pornography in 2023 and 2024. Agents searched his home and electronic devices on January 13, 2025.  Girard admitted he deleted file sharing apps off his phone while driving home on January 13, 2025, as law enforcement officers searched his home.  Girard possessed child pornography that included depictions of infants and toddlers as well as sadistic and masochistic conduct.  Girard also has a prior conviction in South Dakota state court for sexual contact without consent.

United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand sentenced Girard to 97 months’ imprisonment along with a five-year term of supervised release.  There is no parole in the federal system.  Girard was ordered to pay $3,000 in restitution to the victims in the case and $1,100 in fines and assessments.  Girard remains in custody of the United States Marshal until he can be transported to a federal prison.

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.”

The case was investigated by the Sioux City Police Department and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kraig R. Hamit.  

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

The case file number is 25-4023. 

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A man who conspired to distribute methamphetamine while illegally possessing a gun pled guilty March 18, 2026, in federal court in Sioux City.

Clayton Brown, age 34, from Lake City, Iowa, was convicted of one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and one count of felon in possession of a firearm.  Brown has seven prior felony convictions that prohibited him from possessing guns. 

At the plea hearing, Brown admitted being in a conspiracy that distributed at least four pounds of methamphetamine in about eight-months in 2025.  Twice in October 2025, Brown distributed over 80 grams of pure methamphetamine to an individual cooperating with law enforcement.  During a search of Brown’s home, officers seized a Glock handgun, methamphetamine, marijuana, over $2,000 in cash, and other items related to drug distribution.   

Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Brown remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing.  Brown faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment, a $10,250,000 fine, and at least five years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and was investigated by the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, the Iowa DCI Laboratory, 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 25-3057.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

A man who distributed over seven pounds of methamphetamine was sentenced on March 17, 2026, to a decade in federal prison.

Michael Scott Boen, II, age 33, from Dubuque, Iowa, received the prison term after a July 23, 2025, guilty plea to distribution of a controlled substance following a conviction for a serious drug felony.

Evidence at sentencing showed that between September 2024 and January 2025, Boen sold more than seven pounds of methamphetamine.  In October 2024, law enforcement officers stopped Boen in Dubuque, Iowa, and seized 12 grams of methamphetamine from his car.  Two weeks later, Boen attempted to sell a stolen gun to a drug dealer in exchange for more methamphetamine.  Officers searched his house in January 2025 and located additional methamphetamine.

Boen was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Boen was sentenced to 120 months’ imprisonment and must also serve an eight-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

Boen 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 Devra T. Hake and former Special Assistant United States Attorney Jared Manternach and was investigated by the Dubuque Police Department, the Dubuque County Sheriff’s Office, the Dubuque Drug Task Force, 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 25-CR-1016.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.
 

A man who prepared fraudulent tax returns for himself and others was sentenced on March 13, 2026, to three years in federal prison.

Tresor Mugogo Ngoy, age 41, from Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison term after an August 25, 2025, guilty plea to one count of making and subscribing a false tax return.

Mugogo Ngoy admitted that he signed and filed a false tax return in his own name for the 2020 tax year. Evidence at sentencing showed that he also filed false tax returns in his own name for every tax year between 2017 and 2022. Evidence also showed that Mugogo Ngoy, who is originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was being paid by other people in the Congolese community in Waterloo to prepare tax returns. Mugogo Ngoy falsified tax returns by claiming deductions and credits to which the taxpayers were not entitled. Mugogo Ngoy prepared more than 50 false returns that claimed more than $250,000 in fraudulent refunds. He was generally paid between $100 and $300 in cash to prepare a tax return.

Mugogo Ngoy has been in the United States since 2012. His lengthy criminal record includes five convictions for operating while intoxicated and convictions for other driving-related offenses. Mugogo Ngoy is currently serving a five-year prison term in the State of Iowa after an April 2025 conviction for operating while intoxicated in Black Hawk County.

Mugogo Ngoy was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. He was sentenced to 36 months’ imprisonment and ordered to make more than $250,000 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service. He must also serve a one-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

“As the tax filing deadline looms, most taxpayers are filing timely, accurate tax returns. But those looking to cheat the government should know IRS—Criminal Investigation exists to track cheaters down and hold them accountable,” said IRS-CI Special Agent in Charge William Steenson. “That not only applies to individual filers, but also to those who prepare and submit fraudulent tax returns for others.”

“The American income-tax system relies on trust and honesty,” said United States Attorney Leif Olson. “Not just the federal government’s trust that we’ll pay our taxes honestly, but each taxpayer’s trust in every other taxpayer that we’ll all play by the rules. When a cheat like Mugogo Ngoy drains money from the federal treasury, he isn’t taking advantage of a system; he’s taking advantage of every one of us who has paid taxes honestly. Now he’ll pay the price.”

Mugogo Ngoy 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 Anthony Morfitt and investigated by the Internal Revenue Service—Criminal Investigation. 

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

The case file number is 25-cr-2031.

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 Capri Rogers, age 37, from Alexandria Virginia, was sentenced today to more than 7 years in federal prison, after pleading guilty on October 1, 2025, to possession of a firearm by a felon.

Evidence in the case revealed on July 4, 2025, law enforcement responded to a report of harassment and that the subject had a firearm.  Rogers had approached two women who were riding bicycles and threatened them with the firearm.  Later in the day, law enforcement located Rogers.  Rogers denied any knowledge of the incident and fled on foot from the officer, dropping a firearm in the street as he ran.  A child was within feet of the weapon when it struck the pavement.  Rogers was taken into custody.

Rogers’ criminal history includes two counts of possession of a firearm by a felon in 2022, an assault and battery of a family member in 2016, the use of a firearm in a robbery in 2008, and a robbery in 2008.  At the sentencing hearing, evidence showed that during the 2022 firearm offense Rogers had actually used the firearm to subject a live-in girlfriend to prolonged abuse.    

Rogers was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand to 90 months’ imprisonment.  Judge Strand described Rodgers’ conduct relating to the 2022 firearms offense as “sadistic.”  Rogers must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

Rogers 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 and the United States Department of Justice’s Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF).  This 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 25-4043.

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A woman who helped her boyfriend steal fifteen guns from a house in Waterloo was sentenced on March 9, 2026, to more than three years in federal prison.

Jena Lea Wells, age 30, from Silvis, Illinois, received the prison term after a September 19, 2025, guilty plea to possession of stolen firearms.

Information from the plea and sentencing hearings showed that in June 2024, Wells was living in Waterloo, Iowa.  She was in a relationship with Justin Barnes.  That month, the two of them stole fifteen guns from an unoccupied house in Waterloo.  Wells acted as a lookout while Barnes stole the guns.  They took the stolen guns to Wells’s residence. 

Barnes then tried to sell the guns.  During a traffic stop on June 10, 2024, Waterloo police officers located several of the stolen guns in Barnes’s backpack.  Wells attempted to hide the bag from the officers during the stop by pulling it to where she was sitting in the car.  Officers then searched Wells’s home twice.  During the first search, Wells lied about any stolen firearms being in the home.  When officers returned and found additional, stolen firearms at Wells’s home during the second search, she falsely denied knowing that the guns were there.     

Wells was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Wells was sentenced to 41 months’ imprisonment.  She must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.  Barnes has pled guilty in federal court and is scheduled to be sentenced on May 1, 2026.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

Wells 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 Kyndra Lundquist and investigated by a Federal Task Force composed of the Waterloo Police Department, the 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 25-CR-2022.

A man who received and possessed child pornography was convicted by a jury today, after a three-day trial in federal court in Cedar Rapids.  Matthew Jason Manos, age 42, from Coggon, Iowa, was convicted of receipt of child pornography and possession of child pornography, including a depiction of a prepubescent minor or a minor who had not attained 12 years of age.  The verdict was returned this afternoon following about two and a half hours of jury deliberations.

The evidence at trial showed that in February 2023, law enforcement officers searched Manos’s residence in Coggon and took his cell phone.  Between December 2022 and February 2023, Manos had downloaded images of child pornography.  He viewed the images on his cell phone multiple times.  Manos then moved to Illinois, where he was arrested in August 2023.  During his arrest, law enforcement officers took his new cell phone.  Evidence showed that Manos had used that new phone to access child pornography.  Manos was previously convicted of continuous sexual abuse of a child, lascivious acts with a child, lascivious conduct with a child, dissemination and exhibition of obscene material to minors, and indecent exposure. 

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.”

Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Manos remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing.  Manos faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of 40 years’ imprisonment, a $500,000 fine, and a lifetime term of supervised release following any imprisonment.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Devra T. Hake and Ashley Corkery and was investigated by the Linn County Sheriff’s Office and the Cedar Rapids Police Department, with assistance by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  

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

The case file number is 25-CR-14.

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A man who possessed stolen and unregistered short-barreled firearms was sentenced yesterday to more than eight years in federal prison.

Jason Jay Hoogland, 38, from Fort Dodge, Iowa, received the prison term after a September 31, 2025, guilty plea to one count of possession of an unregistered firearm-short barreled.

At the hearings, Hoogland admitted that on January 20, 2025, in Fort Dodge, he possessed a stolen pistol and a short-barreled 20-gauge shotgun which was not registered to him as required by law.  Law enforcement located these items, and drug paraphernalia, at defendant’s residence which was searched after Hoogland used a gun to assault a man at a local hospital. Later, on April 23, 2025, in Fort Dodge, Hoogland possessed another stolen firearm and short-barreled firearms not registered to him.  Law enforcement located these items when aiding in the eviction of Hoogland from the residence where he was staying.  

Hoogland was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Hoogland was sentenced to 97 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.

Hoogland 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 Patrick T. Greenwood and was investigated by the Fort Dodge Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF).

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

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

The case file number is 25-CR-03033.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

Kevin Knight, age 45, from Mason City, Iowa, was sentenced March 6, 2026, to 13 years in federal prison, after an October 8, 2025, guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, and three counts of distribution of methamphetamine. 

Evidence in the case revealed that between January 2024 and continuing through February 2025, Knight was involved in an ongoing methamphetamine distribution conspiracy based in Mason City, Iowa, where law enforcement documented Knight actively engaged in drug trafficking.  Knight has a lengthy criminal history.  His prior convictions include numerous thefts, forgeries, and/or burglaries, a domestic abuse assault, and four prior methamphetamine-related convictions.    

Knight was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand to 156 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.  Knight is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was investigated Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Department and the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ron Timmons.  

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

The case file number is 25-3019.

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Fred Grell, 64, from Angleton, Texas, was sentenced on March 5, 2026, to 8 years’ imprisonment after pleading guilty on October 17, 2025, to receipt of child pornography, in federal court in Sioux City.

Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings showed that between about March 1, 2022, and September 19, 2023, Grell received and possessed child pornography.  On June 24, 2023, law enforcement received a report of a missing runaway foster child.  In July 2023, Grell dropped a minor victim off at the Ida County Sheriff’s Office and left the scene without contacting deputies.  During further investigation of Grell regarding this incident, a search of Grell’s phone records revealed two videos and six pictures of child pornography of the minor victim. The minor victim told officers Grell sexually assaulted her, that they had intercourse multiple times in Grell’s semi-truck and home before and after the minor victim’s sixteenth birthday.  The victim also told law enforcement that Grell would routinely call her and told her to “keep things off texts” to avoid detection and thwart later investigations.

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.”

United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand sentenced Grell to 96 months’ imprisonment and a 5-year term of supervised release following imprisonment.  There is no parole in the federal system.  Grell was also ordered to pay $10,00 in fines and assessments to support victims of child pornography offenses.  Grell remains in custody of the United States Marshal until he can be transported to a federal prison.  

The case was investigated by the Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office and Ida County Sheriff’s Office and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kraig R. Hamit.  

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

The case file number is 25-4027.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

Wenona Oropeza, 48, from Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced March 5, 2026, to over ten years in federal prison.  Oropeza pled guilty on October 22, 2025, to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. 

Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings showed that a number of times over one year in 2024-2025, Oropeza would have other persons drive her from Omaha, Nebraska to Sioux Falls, South Dakota with several ounces of methamphetamine to distribute in Sioux Falls where she could double and triple her profits selling the methamphetamine.  On March 2, 2025, a vehicle Oropeza was a passenger in was stopped for traffic violations near Sioux City.  Law enforcement seized over 50 grams of pure methamphetamine that Oropeza admitted she planned to sell in Sioux Falls.  

United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand sentenced Oropeza to 130 months’ imprisonment.  She must also serve a 5-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.  Oropeza 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 Shawn S. Wehde and 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.    

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The case file number is 25-4019.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

The final defendant in a group charged with drug trafficking crimes in the Cedar Rapids area was sentenced today to twenty-seven years in federal prison.

Lavelle Davies, age 32, from Chicago, Illinois, was sentenced to 324 months’ imprisonment and ordered to serve a five-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  Davies was sentenced following a July 25, 2025, guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.

Davies’ codefendants were previously sentenced as follows:

Tanea Browning, age 29, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was sentenced on September 4, 2025, to 156 months’ imprisonment and ordered to serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and two counts of distribution of a controlled substance.

Andre Corone McNairy, age 34, from Chicago, Illinois, was sentenced on September 24, 2025, to 210 months’ imprisonment and ordered to serve a five-year term of supervised release after the prison term after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.

Jeffery Lamonte Hayes, age 32, from Chicago, Illinois, was sentenced on September 8, 2025, to 151 months’ imprisonment and ordered to serve a five-year term of supervised release after the prison term after pleading guilty to two counts of distribution of a controlled substance.

Javonte Carpenter, age 32, from Chicago, Illinois, was sentenced on August18, 2025, to 123 months’ imprisonment and ordered to serve a five-year term of supervised release after the prison term after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.

Evidence presented during court hearings showed that the group collectively was referred to as “Shorty.”  Th group passed phones around taking calls and making deliveries of cocaine and methamphetamine in the Cedar Rapids, Iowa, area.  In October 2023, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, law enforcement officers stopped a car that Davies, Browning, Hayes, and Carpenter were in.  Officers found over five kilograms of methamphetamine in the car.  While officers were later searching an apartment occupied by Davies and Browning, Davies threw a loaded gun out of a window.  In April 2024, officers stopped McNairy driving in a car with over two kilograms of methamphetamine.  

All five defendants were sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams and are in custody of the United States Marshal’s Service or the Bureau of Prisons.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Emily K. Nydle and investigated by the Cedar Rapids Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, the Muscatine County Drug Task Force, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, 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 24-cr-43.

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Luke Braniff, 26, from Mason City, Iowa, pled guilty on March 3, 2026, in federal court in Sioux City to felon in possession of ammunition.  Braniff was previously convicted of two counts of Lascivious Acts with a Child in 2017, and Sex Offender Registry Violations, in 2018, 2023, and 2025, all convictions were in Iowa.  These convictions prohibit Braniff from possessing any firearms or ammunition. 

At the plea hearing, Braniff admitted to possessing ammunition knowing he was prohibited from doing so due to his previous convictions.  Law enforcement became aware of Braniff’s illegal possession of ammunition during an investigation regarding reports of Braniff sending vulgar sexual messages on Snapchat to a minor female and requesting nude images of the child.

Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Braniff remains in custody of the United States Marshal and will remain in custody pending sentencing.  Braniff faces a possible maximum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and not more than three years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

The case was investigated by the Mason City Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kraig R. Hamit.  

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The case file number is 25-3039.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

A man with multiple prior domestic violence convictions who unlawfully possessed a gun while committing another domestic assault was sentenced today to more than four years in federal prison.

Travis Terrell Jordan, age 41, from Memphis, Tennessee, received the prison term after a September 12, 2025, guilty plea to possession of a firearm by a person convicted of domestic violence.

Information from the sentencing hearing showed that Jordan had been convicted of a domestic abuse crime four times prior to December 2024.  On December 13, 2024, Jordan assaulted a woman in an apartment in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  Jordan hit the victim in the face and pointed the gun at her while threatening to shoot her.  The victim’s two minor children were also in the apartment at the time.

Jordan was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Jordan was sentenced to 53 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.

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

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. 

On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nicole Nagin and investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Cedar Rapids Police Department.  

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

The case file number is 25-cr-20.

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Chad Billheimer, 48, from Wayne, Nebraska, was sentenced on March 4, 2026, in federal court to 180 months’ imprisonment.

Billheimer pled guilty October 6, 2025, to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, possession and aiding and abetting another in the possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. 

Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings showed that Billheimer was involved in a conspiracy that distributed more than 2500 grams of meth from 2022 through November 2024.  On November 9, 2024, Billheimer was stopped by Sioux City law enforcement for driving the wrong way on a one-way street.  During the traffic stop a K-9 alerted on the vehicle.  A search of the vehicle revealed a firearm, a 9mm handgun, (later determined to be stolen) from a backpack in the backseat and about two ounces of methamphetamine.  Billheimer admitted to dealing over 5 pounds of methamphetamine obtained from a source of supply in Nebraska that he further distributed in Iowa and Nebraska.  Billheimer further admitted that he acquired the firearm prior to dealing drugs but now had the handgun to protect himself when he was dealing methamphetamine.  Billheimer was previously convicted of driving under the influence, third offense in Nebraska in 2009, a felony, which prohibits him from possessing any firearm. 

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand sentenced Billheimer to 180 months’ imprisonment and he must serve a five-year term of supervised release following imprisonment.  There is no parole in the federal system.  Billheimer 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 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 25-4008.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

Johnathan Paul Creason, age 20, from Norwalk, Iowa, has been charged with one count of sex abuse occurring on the Meskwaki Settlement.­ The charges are contained in a Complaint unsealed today in United States District Court in Cedar Rapids. ­

The Complaint alleges that, on or about February 10, 2026, Creason went to the victim’s home on the Meskwaki Settlement. While at the home, Creason had nonconsensual forced sexual intercourse with the victim.  Creason is also under investigation by the Ankeny Police Department and Ames Police Department for additional sexual assaults of additional, unrelated, victims. Anyone with information regarding Creason is asked to contact the Federal Bureau of Investigation Omaha Division’s Operation Center at 402-493-8688 and press 0 to be connected. Creason is pictured below:

If convicted, Creason faces a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and five years of supervised release following any imprisonment.­

Creason appeared today in federal court in Cedar Rapids and was held without bond. 

As with any criminal case, a charge is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lisa C. Williams and was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Meskwaki Nation Police Department, the Ankeny Police Department, and the Ames Police Department. 

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

The case file number is 26-cr-22.

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A man who possessed a firearm after having previously been convicted of thirteen other felony offenses was sentenced on February 27, 2026, to more than four years in federal prison.

Chad James Wolf, age 44, from Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison term after a July 7, 2025, guilty plea to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Court documents reflect that, in February 2025, Wolf was harassing an ex‑girlfriend by showing up at her home, causing problems, refusing to leave, and repeatedly calling her.  Law enforcement officers searched Wolf’s home in Waterloo and found a gun he had stolen from the ex‑girlfriend’s house.  Officers also found items consistent with drug distribution.  Wolf had previously been convicted of twenty‑five crimes, thirteen of which were felonies, including sexual abuse, going armed with intent, and failing to register as a sex offender three times.

Wolf was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Wolf was sentenced to 53 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 is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

Wolf 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 Waterloo Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nicole Nagin.  

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

The case file number is 25‑CR‑02008-CJW-MAR.

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A convicted federal felon who sold fentanyl and heroin that resulted in two overdose deaths in 2023 was sentenced on March 3, 2026, to a total of 37 years in federal prison.

Cody Kinzie Dittmar, age 34, originally from Dubuque, Iowa, received the prison term after a June 25, 2025, jury verdict finding him guilty of distributing and conspiring to distribute heroin and fentanyl, resulting in two deaths.

Court records show that Dittmar was sentenced to 64 months in federal prison for a 2017 conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm.  The evidence at trial showed that Dittmar was released to federal supervised release in June 2023.  Dittmar immediately began selling heroin and fentanyl with his girlfriend, then wife, Alysha (Gould) Dittmar.  On July 1, 2023, the Dittmars sold a mixture of heroin, fentanyl, and xylazine to a customer in Marion, Iowa.  The customer and his wife used the drugs shortly thereafter.  Both then died of overdoses.  The Dittmars continued to sell heroin and fentanyl in the Cedar Rapids area until July 2024.  Alysha Dittmar previously pled guilty to distribution of heroin and fentanyl resulting in the two deaths.

Dittmar was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Dittmar was sentenced to 420 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  Dittmar was serving a term of supervised release on his 2017 case at the time he committed the crimes that led to his convictions in 2025.  The court also sentenced Dittmar to two years’ consecutive imprisonment as a result of the revocation of his supervised release.  There is no parole in the federal system.  

Dittmar 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 Marion Police Department and 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 was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Nicole Nagin and Dan Chatham.

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

The case file number is 25‑CR‑00001‑CJW‑MAR.

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The former president of a defunct Eastern Iowa telecommunications infrastructure business, who concealed assets and otherwise made false statements under penalty of perjury in his personal bankruptcy proceeding, was convicted on all counts by a jury on February 28, 2026, after a five-day trial in federal court in Cedar Rapids.

Dennis Clifford Bruce, age 51, from Marion, Iowa, was convicted of one count of conspiracy, two counts of bankruptcy concealment, one count of false bankruptcy declaration, two counts of false statement under oath, and one count of engaging in a monetary transaction in property derived from specified unlawful activity.  The verdicts were returned following about five hours of jury deliberations.

The evidence at trial showed that Bruce was the owner and president of BDC Group, Inc., an Eastern Iowa telecommunications infrastructure business that did business throughout the United States.  In 2023, BDC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in an attempt to reorganize but, in early 2024, the bankruptcy court converted BDC’s corporate bankruptcy to a Chapter 7 liquidation proceeding.

In March 2024, Bruce filed for personal Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection.  Bruce told the bankruptcy court that he had less than $50,000 in non-exempt assets.  He sought to discharge over $30 million in debt from his creditors in his personal bankruptcy, which to a large degree consisted of personal guarantees on BDC’s loans.

The United States’s bankruptcy laws permit debtors a “fresh start” so long as they are scrupulously honest with the bankruptcy court, the trustees who oversee the debtor’s property, and creditors.  The evidence at trial established that Bruce concealed assets and repeatedly made false statements to the bankruptcy court, trustees, and creditors about his property and prior transfers.  The concealment and false statements included Bruce’s sale of a $50,000 pontoon boat and his ownership interest in an Eastern Iowa conduit company.

The trial evidence also established that Bruce hid an ownership interest in a limited liability company in Marion, which another person purported to operate from Bruce’s basement.  On paper, the company was put in the name of that other person, but Bruce had obtained approximately $300,000 in seed money for the company and profited from its operations.  The company solicited business from some of BDC’s prior customers, including the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (“NASA”), on the false premises that the company was “woman owned.”  For example, the company successfully obtained a nearly $500,000 contract with NASA to build a blast-proof bunker at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.  While his Chapter 7 bankruptcy proceeding was pending, Bruce and another person received “rent” payments from the new company, compensation for a root canal, and a new deck on Bruce’s home in Marion.  Evidence at trial revealed that the company’s internal financial records contained false statements to conceal these payments that benefited Bruce.

Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Bruce remains free on bond previously set pending sentencing.  Bruce faces a possible maximum sentence of 40 years’ imprisonment, a $1,750,000 fine, and three years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Timothy L. Vavricek and Dan Chatham and was investigated by NASA, Office of Inspector General, and the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation.  

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

The case file number is 25-CR-49.

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A man who received child pornography was sentenced today to 10 years in federal prison.

Hazim Kapic, age 61, from Bosnia, who was living in Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison term after a September 17, 2025, guilty plea to one count of receipt of child pornography.

In a plea agreement, Kapic admitted that he downloaded child pornography from February 2020 until August 2024.  In August 2024, law enforcement officers searched his home in Waterloo, Iowa, and seized a hard drive with thousands of images and videos of child pornography, including of prepubescent minors.  Kapic had depictions of child pornography involving an infant or toddler, and depictions involving sadistic and masochistic conduct.  

Kapic was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Kapic was sentenced to 120 months’ imprisonment and was ordered to make $18,000 in restitution to victims in the case.  He must also serve a five-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.”

Kapic 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 Devra T. Hake and investigated by the Waterloo Police Department and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.  

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

The case file number is 25-CR-2025.

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