Northern District of Iowa

A man who possessed a stolen firearm as a prohibited person was sentenced November 13, 2025, to more than four years in federal prison.

Jammonttay Coleman, 36, from Fort Dodge, Iowa, received the prison term after a July 7, 2025, guilty plea to possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.

Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings showed that on August 25, 2024, Coleman possessed a stolen 9mm pistol with a large capacity magazine.  That day, law enforcement in Fort Dodge stopped a vehicle driven by Coleman for speeding through a construction zone.  During the traffic stop, law enforcement smelled marijuana coming from Coleman’s vehicle.  After first refusing to exit his vehicle, Coleman ultimately complied.  When he opened his door, a bag of marijuana fell from the vehicle.  Law enforcement then searched the vehicle and located the stolen 9mm pistol.  This firearm had been reported stolen in July 2024 during a fight in Otho, Iowa, where defendant was observed by others taking the firearm after it had been discarded by the owner.  Coleman admitted to officers to taking the firearm and possessing it as a felon, as well as being a user of marijuana.  As a felon and user of a controlled substance, he was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.  At the time of his illegal possession of the firearm, Coleman was on parole for felony burglary and assault while participating in a felony in Sac County, Iowa.

Coleman was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Coleman was sentenced to 57 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.

Coleman 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.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick T. Greenwood and was investigated by the Webster County Sheriff’s Office, 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 24-3039.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

A man who possessed ammunition as a prohibited person was sentenced today to more than two years in federal prison.

Nicholas Edward Schubich, age 45, from Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison term after an August 8, 2025 guilty plea to one count of possession of ammunition by a prohibited person.

At the guilty plea, Schubich admitted he possessed the ammunition knowing that he had previously been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year as well as a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence.  On April 20, 2025, following a traffic stop on a car that Schubich was a passenger in, officers located methamphetamine, marijuana, and a box of ammunition in Schubich’s backpack.

Schubich was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Schubich was sentenced to 30 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.  

Schubich 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 (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline) 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 Adam J. Vander Stoep and was investigated by the Iowa State Patrol, the Waterloo Police Department, 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-2032.

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William Clark, Jr. 40, from Story City, Iowa was sentenced on October 7, 2025, in federal court in Sioux City, Iowa.  Clark, Jr. was convicted of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl by pleading guilty on May 8, 2025.

Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings showed that from January 2024 through April 27, 2024, Clark, Jr. and two others conspired to distribute at least ½ pound of methamphetamine and more than 1500 pills of fentanyl.  On April 21, 2024, Clark, Jr., along with two others were headed to Colorado to pick up more methamphetamine.  They attempted to elude law enforcement in a 30 minute, high speed vehicle chase during which they discarded 1500 fentanyl pills.  Clark, Jr. also made “false” 911 calls to law enforcement to distract them, and avoid capture.  

Sentencing was held before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Clark, Jr. was sentenced to 108 months’ imprisonment and must serve a term of four years of supervised release following imprisonment.  There is no parole in the federal system.  Clark, Jr. 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 Ida and Sac County Sheriff’s Offices, 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 the Woodbury County Attorney’s Office; and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; and Iowa DCI Laboratory  

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

The case file number is 24-4042.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

Justin Derby, 46, from Sioux City, Iowa, was sentenced October 16, 2025, to more than 20 years in federal prison.

Derby pled guilty on May 22, 2025, to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, one count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.  

Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings showed that Derby was involved in a conspiracy that involved his distribution of more than 700 grams of methamphetamine from June 2022 through June 2024 in the Sioux City area.  Derby was involved in an attempted eluding and flight from law enforcement on a motorcycle in June of 2024.  Upon apprehension, law enforcement seized over 85 grams of pure methamphetamine, a loaded 9mm pistol, additional ammunition and a scale from Derby’s backpack.  Derby admitted to possessing the methamphetamine with plans to distribute it to others and possessing the firearm for protection of himself and his drugs.  Derby had previously been convicted of four other eluding law enforcement offenses.      

Derby was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Derby was sentenced to 248 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.  Derby is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and investigated by the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Algona Police Department, Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa State Patrol, Kossuth County Sheriff’s Office, Webster County Sheriff’s Office, and the Iowa DCI Laboratory.  

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

The case file number is 24-3033.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

Anthony Girard, 39, from Sioux City, Iowa, pled guilty November 12, 2025, in federal court in Sioux City, to receiving child pornography.

At the plea hearing, Girard admitted that from September 2023 through January 13, 2025, he received and possessed child pornography.  Girard admitted he used proactive file sharing services to exchange over 13,000 files of investigative interest over the course of two years.  During the investigation, agents from around Iowa were able to connect Girard’s IP to thousands of files of child pornography in 2023 and 2024.  Agents observed large gaps in the dates the IP address was active, and Girard admitted the gaps in his access of child pornography were due to swings in his sex life.  Girard further admitted he deleted file sharing apps off his phone while driving home on January 13, 2025, as law enforcement executed a search warrant at his home.  The materials associated with Girard’s file sharing included depictions of infants and toddlers as well as sadistic and masochistic conduct.   

Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Girard remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing.  Girard faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and at least five years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

The case was investigated by the Sioux City Police Department and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigations and is being 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.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

A man who used Snapchat, Instagram, and text messages to persuade children to engage in sexually explicit conduct, and send him photographs and videos of this conduct, was sentenced on October 1, 2025 to 40 years in federal prison.

Bryce Hans Plower, age 37, from Prairieburg, Iowa, received the prison term after an April 17, 2025 guilty plea to sexual exploitation of children and possession of child pornography.

Information in a plea agreement and at sentencing showed that between 2014 and 2024, Plower convinced multiple children to send him sexually explicit images and videos of themselves.  Some minors were as young as 12 years old.  He paid several children, often as little as $1.  Minors then sent him sexually explicit images that they felt they owed him.  Plower also possessed child pornography on his phone, including of a child engaged in sexual acts with an animal, prepubescent children, and sadistic or masochistic conduct.   

Plower was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Plower was sentenced to 480 months’ imprisonment and was ordered to make $6,000 in restitution to victims.  He must also serve a 5-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

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

Plower 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 and Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.  

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

The case file number is 24-CR-91.

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An Iowa attorney who made a false statement to Iowa Medicaid pled guilty on October 30, 2025, in federal court in Sioux City.  Timothy Mark Anderson, age 66, from Garner, Iowa, was convicted of one count of false statement relating to a health care matter.

At his plea hearing and in a plea agreement, Anderson admitted that he was a licensed attorney in the State of Iowa.  Anderson offered financial, tax, and estate planning services to the public from his law office in Garner.  Anderson’s legal services included assisting elderly clients on Medicaid eligibility.

Medicaid is a cooperative federal-state health care benefit program for low-income persons and others, including the elderly.  As part of his legal services, Anderson prepared and submitted applications for Iowa Medicaid-funded nursing home care.  Iowa Medicaid has rules for eligibility, including an evaluation of the financial resources available to the applicant.  In determining the resources of an individual and spouse, one automobile is excluded regardless of value if it complies with, among other things, the requirements of the state law in which the application is filed.

In 2021, Father-1 and Mother-1 were two elderly married persons.  Father-1 and Mother-1 had over $400,000 in assets, including a 2020 Chevrolet Equinox valued at $30,000, but wished to become eligible for Iowa Medicaid, have Iowa Medicaid pay for nursing home expenses, and pass on their assets to their heirs.  Father-1 was receiving nursing home care at the time without public assistance.

In October 2021, Anderson deposited a $186,000 check from Mother-1 into his personal savings account, provided Mother-1 a certificate of title to a 1961 Rolls Royce Phantom V, and signed the title for that vehicle over to her.  Anderson also created a bill of sale for this transaction, stating that the car was transferred on October 18, 2021.  Two days earlier, on October 16, 2021, Anderson was driving the 1961 Rolls Royce and was involved in an accident.  The 1961 Rolls Royce suffered front-end damage, was inoperable, and was towed to a farm shop.

On November 4, 2021, Anderson wrote Iowa Medicaid and provided a series of documents to qualify Father-1 for Iowa Medicaid benefits.  Among other things, Anderson provided a document that stated that the Rolls Royce had a fair market value of $194,000.  At the time Anderson submitted the form to Iowa Medicaid, he knew that the fair market value of that vehicle was not $194,000.

 Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Anderson remains released pending sentencing.  Anderson faces a possible maximum sentence of five 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 Timothy L. Vavricek 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-3053.

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Daniel Smith, 38, from Fort Dodge, Iowa, was sentenced on October 8, 2025, in federal court in Sioux City.  On May 20, 2025, Smith pled guilty to one count of illegal possession of firearms.  Smith was previously convicted of Unauthorized Possession of Offensive Weapons, in 2017, and Dominion/Control of Firearm/Offensive Weapon by a Felon, in 2022 both in Iowa.  These convictions prohibit a person from possessing any firearm. 

Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings showed that in November 2024, in Fort Dodge, Iowa, Smith possessed three firearms (rifles/shotgun) which had been provided to him by another person.  On November 16, 2024, law enforcement went to Smith’s residence for a shots fired call and observed evidence of a shotgun being fired.  During a follow-up search warrant on November 21, 2024, at Smith’s residence, law enforcement seized 3 firearms, a .22 rifle, a .410 shotgun, and a 16-gauge shotgun.  Smith admitted he had received the firearms and had fired two of the firearms to test their functioning.

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.

Sentencing was held before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Smith was sentenced to 39 months’ imprisonment and must serve a term of 3-years of supervised release following imprisonment.  There is no parole in the federal system.  Smith 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 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 24-3052.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

A Fort Dodge man who sexually exploited several minors and distributed child pornography to children pled guilty November 12, 2025, in federal court in Sioux City.

Pry’Shayn Mosley, 20, from Fort Dodge, Iowa, was convicted of 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 child sexual abuse material to other persons, including children.  During the investigation into Mosely’s activities, 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.  During the search, with police at the scene, 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.  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. 

Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Mosley remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing.  Mosley faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of 30 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and at least five years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

The case was investigated by the Fort Dodge Police Department and Webster County Sheriff’s Office and is being 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 man who distributed hundreds of pounds of methamphetamine and cocaine to co-conspirators in the Dubuque, Iowa, area, was sentenced today to more than 15 years in federal prison.

Juan Jose Ruiz, age 29, from Visalia, California, received the prison term after an April 24, 2025 guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine and 50 grams or more of actual (pure) methamphetamine.  

Evidence at sentencing showed that in 2021, Ruiz was responsible for distributing 200 pounds of methamphetamine and 2,000 grams of cocaine to other members of a drug-trafficking organization based in Dubuque, Iowa.  In December 2021, Ruiz was driving a car from California to Iowa, when law enforcement stopped him in Colorado.  Law enforcement searched his car and, under cutout doors in the metal floor of the car, found 25 pounds of ice methamphetamine.  

Ruiz was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Ruiz was sentenced to 188 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 Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline) 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.  Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

Ruiz 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 Dubuque Drug Task Force, Dubuque County Sheriff’s Office, Dubuque Police Department, Quad City Metropolitan Enforcement Group, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Criminalistics Laboratory. 

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

The case file number is 23-CR-1006.

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A man who possessed an unregistered short-barreled firearm pled guilty yesterday in federal court in Sioux City, Iowa.

Jason Jay Hoogland, 38, from Fort Dodge, Iowa, was convicted of one count of possession of an unregistered firearm, a short-barreled shotgun.

At the plea hearing, Hoogland admitted that on January 20, 2025, in Fort Dodge, he possessed a short-barreled 20-gauge shotgun which was not registered to him as required in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.  That same day, he also possessed a stolen pistol.  Law enforcement located these items, and drug paraphernalia, at defendant’s residence after executing a search warrant based on information that he had used a firearm to assault a person being treated at a local hospital.  Later, on April 23, 2025, in Fort Dodge, Hoogland was found to possess another stolen firearm and short-barreled firearms not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.

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

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 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 also part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline) 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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).  

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.

A man who illegally re-entered the United States after having been convicted of a felony offense pled guilty yesterday in federal court in Sioux City, Iowa.

Jesus Banuelos-Lepe, 49, who is a citizen of Mexico but had been living in Maurice, Iowa, was convicted of one count of illegal re-entry as a felon.

At the plea hearing, Banuelos-Lepe admitted that on July 20, 2025, he was arrested in Sioux County, Iowa, for operating vehicle while intoxicated.  Following his arrest, he was booked into the Sioux County Jail but provided an alias to law enforcement.  Further investigation proved his true identity as Banuelos-Lepe, a citizen of Mexico who had been removed from the United States on five occasions, and did not have permission to legally be in the United States.  Banuelos-Lepe had previously been convicted of felony transportation of an illegal alien, in April of 2007, in the United States District Court for the District of Oregon.  

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

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

This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline) 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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

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

The case file number is 25-CR-04045.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

A Cedar County man who distributed methamphetamine was sentenced on September 29, 2025, to almost 12 years in federal prison.

Shane Robert McDowell, age 44, from Clarence, Iowa, received the prison term after a March 14, 2025 guilty plea to one count of distribution of a controlled substance.  

Evidence at the sentencing hearing showed that, between 2016 and 2022, McDowell obtained methamphetamine from several different sources of supply and distributed it to drug customers.  On February 5, 13, and 28, 2024, law enforcement officers conducted controlled purchases of methamphetamine from McDowell.  In total, McDowell agreed that he was involved with at least 1.5 kilograms of methamphetamine.  

McDowell was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  McDowell was sentenced to 135 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.

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

The case was prosecuted by former Special Assistant United States Attorney Jared Manternach and Assistant United States Attorney Dillan Edwards and investigated by the Cedar County Sheriff’s Office, the Tipton Police Department, the Muscatine County Drug Task Force, and the Cedar Rapids Police Department. 

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

The case file number is 24‑CR‑00070‑CJW.

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A man who illegally possessed a firearm as a felon was sentenced on September 26, 2025, to more than four years in federal prison.

Marquise Darius Dickerson, age 33, from Monroe, Michigan, received the prison term after an April 17, 2025 guilty plea to possession of a firearm by a felon.

In August 2024, law enforcement officers in Oelwein, Iowa, responded to a report of an assault.  The victim reported that Dickerson had spat and choked the victim.  At the time of the assault, Dickerson was intoxicated.  During a search of the residence, law enforcement officers located Dickerson’s firearm.  Dickerson is prohibited from possessing a firearm because he is a felon.

Dickerson was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Dickerson was sentenced to 52 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.

Dickerson 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 Nicole Nagin and investigated by the Oelwein Police Department and the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement.

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.

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

The case file number is 24-CR-02048.

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A convicted felon who illegally possessed a firearm as a felon was sentenced on September 26, 2025, to nearly five years in federal prison.

Edward Earl Roby, Jr., age 28, from Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison term after a May 13, 2025 guilty plea to possession of a firearm by a felon.

In July 2021, Waterloo law enforcement officers discovered a gun in Roby’s car during a traffic stop.  In December 2021, Roby plead guilty in federal court in Cedar Rapids to being a felon in possession of a gun for the July 2021 incident.  Roby was allowed to remain released after his guilty plea.

In February 2022, while he was awaiting sentencing in federal court, law enforcement officers found Roby in a car that had been reported as being involved in a shots fired incident.  Shortly after 4:00 a.m. on February 6, 2022, officers responded to the scene of a shooting after a report that the shots had been fired from a red car.  Officers saw such a car and attempted to stop it.  The car fled from officers.  After a short chase, the car stopped.  Officers found three people inside, including Roby who was in the backseat.

Law enforcement officers retraced the path of the chase.  While doing so, they found a .40 caliber Smith & Wesson handgun in a Crown Royal bag along the path.  It was laying on top of a snowbank and appeared to have been thrown there recently.  Officers also recovered six .40 caliber shell casings from near the scene of the shooting.  The .40 caliber Smith & Wesson had a six-capacity magazine attached to it.  The magazine was empty.  Later DNA testing revealed that Roby’s DNA was on the slide and grip of the handgun.

Roby was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Dickerson was sentenced to 57 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.

In July 2022, Roby was sentenced to 41 months’ imprisonment for the case related to his possession of a firearm in July 2021.

Roby 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 a Federal Task Force composed of the Waterloo Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms assisted by the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office and Cedar Falls Police Department.

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.

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

The case file numbers are 21-CR-2057 and 25-CR-02015.  

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A woman who concealed her ineligibility for Social Security benefits for twenty-two years was sentenced on September 23, 2025, to more than one year in federal prison.

Penny Linn Teel, age 60, from Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison term after an April 23, 2025 guilty plea to one count of theft of government property.

In a plea agreement, Teel admitted that she began receiving insurance benefits from the Social Security Administration in 1992 after her husband passed away.  In 2002, Teel married again.  She did not report or disclose her marriage to the Social Security Administration.  In 2022 and 2023, Teel filled out applications for Social Security benefits for her husband.  She falsely indicated in those applications that he was not married.  Information from sentencing showed that, when Teel was subsequently confronted by law enforcement agents, she made additional false statements about her marriage and whether she told the Social Security Administration that she was married.  

Teel was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Teel was sentenced to 21 months’ imprisonment.  She was ordered to make $297,281 in restitution to the Social Security Administration.  She must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

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

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kyndra Lundquist and investigated by the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General.  

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

The case file number is 24-CR-2042.

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A Sioux City man was sentenced today to more than 28 years in federal prison.

Freddie Summerville, age 56, from Sioux City, received the prison term after a March 11, 2025, guilty plea to two counts of a six-count Indictment.

Count 1 charged conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl and Count 6 charged possession of a firearm during and in furtherance of drug trafficking.

One of Summerville’s known co-conspirators, Ramon Serrano, 31, of San Bernardino, California, was sentenced on December 12, 2024, to 151 months’ imprisonment.  Another co-conspirator, Adrian Ibarra-Manzo, 29, of San Diego, California was sentenced on November 14, 2024, to 132 months’ imprisonment.

Evidence in the case revealed Summerville was part of a conspiracy based in Mexico and California that was responsible for distributing approximately 100 pounds of methamphetamine and at least a pound of fentanyl in the Sioux City area.  On January 3, 2024, Summerville was the subject of a traffic stop, where officers located methamphetamine, approximately 70 pills containing fentanyl, as well as drug paraphernalia, drug ledgers, cash and a loaded firearm.  Summerville admitted to law enforcement that he had received 100 pounds of methamphetamine and an unknown quantity of fentanyl from his source of supply in Mexico. 

Summerville was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand to 340 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.

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

These cases were investigated by the DEA Tri-State Drug Task Force and the Sioux City Police Department and were prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ron Timmons.

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

The case file numbers are 24-4028 and 24-4022.

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A man who sexually exploited children was sentenced September 23, 2025, to 40 years in federal prison

Christopher West, age 38, formerly from Olin, Iowa, received the sentence after an April 14, 2025, guilty plea to one count of sexual exploitation of children and one count of distribution of child pornography.  At the plea hearing, West admitted that he sexually exploited four children and distributed child pornography.  The record at the sentencing hearing showed that West sexually exploited four girls aged 6, 11, 15, and 17.

West was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  West was sentenced to 480 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a five-year term of supervised release after the prison term, and he must comply with all sex offender registration and public notification requirements.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark Tremmel and was investigated by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Cortland, Illinois, Police Department, the Waterloo Police Department, the Jones County Sheriff’s Office, the Anamosa Police Department, the Jefferson City, Tennessee, Police Department, and the Iowa State Patrol.

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.”

Court file information is available at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.  The case file number is CR 24-76.

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Jonathan Reed Snow, age 25, from Dubuque, Iowa, pled guilty today in federal court in Cedar Rapids to one count of distribution of child pornography.  

At the plea hearing, Snow admitted that between September 2023 and August 2024, he used the Internet to distribute visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.  Evidence at a prior hearing showed that Snow also received and possessed child pornography, including depictions of prepubescent children, between June 2024 and August 2024.  

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.  Snow remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing.  Snow faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment without the possibility of parole, a $250,000 fine, $40,100 in special assessments, and a lifetime term of supervised release following any imprisonment.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Devra T. Hake and was investigated by the Dubuque Police Department.

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

The case file number is 25-CR-1018.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

A woman who conspired to distribute methamphetamine pled guilty today in federal court in Cedar Rapids.  Rose Lee Beranek, age 43, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was convicted of conspiring 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.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Devra T. Hake and investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Cedar Rapids Police Department, the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, and the Oklahoma District One Narcotics Task Force.  This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation.  OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence‑driven, multi-agency approach.  Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline) 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.  Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Beranek remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing.  Beranek faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, a $10,000,000 fine, and a lifetime term of supervised release following any imprisonment.

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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An individual who was found in the United States after entering illegally on multiple occasions was sentenced on September 22, 2025, to 168 days imprisonment.  Angel Aranda-Vazquez, age 37, a citizen of Mexico, received the prison term after a June 25, 2025 guilty plea to being found after illegal reentry.  Aranda‑Vazquez had previously been removed from the United States and was found after trying to use identification documents illegally in Tama County, Iowa.  

Aranda-Vazquez was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Aranda-Vazquez was sentenced to 168 days imprisonment.  Aranda-Vazquez must also serve a one-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

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

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nicole L. Nagin and investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations. 

This case is part of Operation Take Back America. (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline) 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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). 

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

The case file number is 25-CR-000111.

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An Iowa farmer who stole over $1.5 million in agricultural subsidies during the COVID-19 pandemic, stole multiple identities, and stalked a victim and witness in his case, pled guilty on September 19, 2025, in federal court in Sioux City.

Tanner James Seuntjens, age 32, from Danbury, Iowa, was convicted of one count of theft of government funds, one count of aggravated identity theft, one count of crop insurance fraud, and one count of stalking.

In a plea agreement, Seuntjens admitted that, between June 2020 and June 2021, he was a 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—in his own name and in the names of another individual and a limited liability company—that each falsely claimed ownership of thousands of swine.  Seuntjens also admitted he later submitted false documents to USDA-FSA county commissioners who were attempting to verify the USDA payments during so-called “spot checks.”          

Seuntjens admitted that, from March 2021 through April 2022, he defrauded a South Dakota bank.  Seuntjens had borrowed funds from the bank as early as 2014 and pledged as collateral his accounts receivable, 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 no less than 20 times and, as a result, 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 admitted he committed crop insurance fraud in 2022 and 2023.  Crop insurance is a federally subsidized program whereby farmers may receive payment from an authorized insurer in the event of adverse weather, fire, disease, and price declines.  Seuntjens admitted he repeatedly underreported his crop yields during the 2022 and 2023 crop seasons, thereby receiving crop insurance funds to which he was not entitled.

Finally, Seuntjens admitted to stalking another person who was a victim and witness in the federal case.  Specifically, Seuntjens admitted that there were federal and state court orders forbidding him from having any contact with the individual.  In Auguust 2025, while on pretrial release in his federal criminal case, Seuntjens travelled to the person’s workplace in Nebraska and placed a tracking device on the person’s car.  Seuntjens admitted he did so with the intent to harass and intimidate the witness and to place the person under surveillance.

Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Seuntjens was taken into custody for pretrial release violations prior to his sentencing hearing and remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing.  Seuntjens faces a mandatory minimum sentence of three years of imprisonment without the possibility of parole and could receive up to 42 years’ imprisonment without the possibility of parole and a $1.75 million fine.  Seuntjens also may be ordered to serve up to 5 years of supervised release following his release from imprisonment.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Timothy L. Vavricek and was 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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A man who conspired to distribute methamphetamine was sentenced on September 19, 2025, to 12 years in federal prison.

Andrew Frazee, 32, from Garner, Iowa, received the prison term after a May 1, 2025, guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute over a pound of methamphetamine.

At the plea and sentencing hearings, Frazee admitted that in November of 2024, he and others conspired to distribute over a pound of methamphetamine in and around Hancock County, Iowa.  Evidence showed that, on November 19, 2024, law enforcement observed Frazee and his vehicle in a ditch in rural Hancock County.  Upon contact with law enforcement, Frazee exhibited signs of impairment and deputies noted the smell of marijuana.  A search of the vehicle was conducted where deputies found approximately 325 grams of methamphetamine, a smoking device, baggies, over $1,200 cash, a scale, and marijuana.  Frazee admitted recently buying large quantities of methamphetamine and distributing to others.   

Frazee was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Frazee was sentenced to 144 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.

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

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick T. Greenwood and was investigated by the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office, 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-03003.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

A man who distributed fentanyl near a school was sentenced today to more than 11 years in federal prison.  D’quon Morrow, age 27, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after a March 28, 2025 guilty plea to one count of distribution of at least 40 grams of fentanyl near a protected location.

Evidence in a plea agreement and at sentencing showed that between February 2024 and July 2024, in Cedar Rapids, Morrow agreed with others to distribute fentanyl and cocaine.  In March 2024, he distributed 6.50 grams of fentanyl and fluorofentanyl to another person.  In April 2024, he sold a firearm to another person.  At the time, Morrow had a felony conviction for eluding.  In May 2024, he distributed 20.75 grams of fentanyl to another person.  In June 2024, he distributed 48.60 grams of fentanyl to another person near Madison Elementary School in Cedar Rapids.  In July 2024, law enforcement searched Morrow’s residence and recovered two firearms, ammunition, and over 1,000 fentanyl pills.    

Morrow was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Morrow was sentenced to 135 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.  Morrow 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 as part of the Northern Iowa Heroin Initiative and the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program of the United States Department of Justice through a cooperative effort of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Cedar Rapids Police Department, the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, and the Iowa Division of Intelligence and Fusion Center. 

This case is also 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 also 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.  Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

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

The case file number is 25-CR-4.

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A former Chief Executive Officer of a telecommunications provider in the Northern District of Iowa, who stole over $600,000, was sentenced on September 18, 2025, to more than three years in federal prison.

Anthony James Lang, age 42, a resident of Jesup, Iowa, received the prison term after an April 9, 2025 guilty plea to one count of wire fraud.

From January 2017 through January 2023, Lang devised and executed a scheme to defraud his employer, a telecommunication and internet service provider.  At the time of the scheme, Lang was the CEO of the company and had access to their books and accounts.  Over a six-year time period, Lang stole over $600,000 from the company. At sentencing, Chief Judge C.J. Williams described Lang’s conduct as the product of greed and waste. 

Lang was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Lang was sentenced to 38 months’ imprisonment.  He was ordered to make $662,736.00 in restitution.  He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

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

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nicole L. Nagin and investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigations.  

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

The case file number is 2025-CR-2017.

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Alexander Summers, 30, from Sioux City, Iowa, was sentenced on September 17, 2025, to 150 months’ imprisonment.  Summers pled guilty May 8, 2025, in federal court in Sioux City to conspiring to distribute methamphetamine.

At the plea and sentencing hearings evidence showed that for about five months in 2023 Summers and others conspired to distribute methamphetamine in the Sioux City, Iowa area.  Specifically, on one occasion in 2023, Summers distributed nearly one pound of pure methamphetamine to an individual cooperating with law enforcement.  Summers further admitted to trafficking approximately 2 ½ pounds of meth with other sources, and helping another person traffic meth in exchange for a place to live in Sioux City.

Sentencing was held before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Summers was sentenced to 150 months’ imprisonment and must serve a 5-year term of supervised release following imprisonment.  There is no parole in the federal system.  Summers 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 the Woodbury County Attorney’s Office.    

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

The case file number is 24-4051.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

A man who shot another person during a failed drug deal was sentenced today to 18 years in federal prison.

Seth John Lee McGraw, age 25, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after an April 3, 2025 guilty plea to one count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and one count of possession of an unregistered firearm.

On August 24, 2024, McGraw met with an individual in Cedar Rapids to sell marijuana.  The deal did not go according to plan, and McGraw ultimately pulled out a firearm and fired multiple shots at the individual, striking that individual twice.  Law enforcement officers searched McGraw’s apartment later that same day and located multiple firearms and drugs.  One of the firearms that officers located at McGraw’s apartment was a short-barreled rifle that was not properly registered to McGraw. 

McGraw was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  McGraw was sentenced to 216 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.

McGraw 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 (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline) 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.  Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Adam J. Vander Stoep and was investigated by the Cedar Rapids 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-7.

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A Minnesota man who harbored and concealed a fugitive in 2022 was sentenced today to nine months in federal prison.  Jay Anthony Tapper, age 57, from Rosemount, Minnesota, received the prison term after a May 13, 2025, guilty plea to one count of harboring a fugitive.

At his plea and sentencing hearings, it was established that, in August and September of 2022, Tapper knew there was a federal warrant outstanding for the arrest of Mary Kate Nguyen.  Tapper booked hotels for Nguyen in his own name, bought her a camper in which to stay, and served as a lookout during a meeting with a potential fraud victim.  Tapper intended to prevent Nguyen’s discovery and arrest on then-pending felony charges.

During the time Nguyen was on the lam in 2022, Tapper and Nguyen submitted the winning $1.3 million bid to purchase the former U.S. Courthouse in Bemidji, Minnesota.  Tapper later continued to have telephone calls with Nguyen while she was incarcerated, helping her with financial transactions.

U.S. Marshals ultimately arrested Nguyen, and she was sentenced to ten years’ imprisonment on fraud and contempt charges in January 2025.  Tapper also admitted he made false statements to, and withheld documents from, a grand jury that was investigating Nguyen for financial crimes in 2022.

Tapper was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Tapper was sentenced to 9 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.

Tapper was released on the bond previously set and is to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on a date yet to be set.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Timothy L. Vavricek and was investigated by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation-Special Enforcement Operations Bureau.  The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Woodbury (Minnesota) Police Department, U.S. Marshal’s Service, Sioux County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa State Patrol, Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement, and Iowa Division of Intelligence assisted in the investigation.

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

The case file numbers are 25-CR-4024 (Tapper) and 21-CR-3037 (Nguyen).

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A felon who held a woman at gunpoint and threatened to kill her was sentenced today to more than three years in federal prison.

Mickey Lee Miller, age 38, from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, received the prison term after an April 21, 2025 guilty plea to one count of possession of a firearm by a felon. 

Information in a plea agreement and at the sentencing hearing showed that on October 16, 2024, in Dubuque, Iowa, Miller pointed a loaded gun at a woman and threatened to kill her and others.  Miller was taken into custody that night.  On numerous occasions since October, Miller assaulted jail staff.  Miller has a prior felony conviction for robbery with threat of force.

Miller was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Miller was sentenced to 41 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.

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 (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline) 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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

Miller 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 Dubuque 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-1008.

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Priest Morris, 21, from Sioux City, Iowa, was sentenced on September 12, 2025, to over 5 years’ imprisonment, in federal court in Sioux City.  Morris pled guilty May 1, 2025, to possession of child pornography.

Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings, showed that from January 2024, through August 2024, Morris used the Discord, Twitter, Telegram, and Snapchat applications to receive, distribute, and possess visual depictions of child pornography including materials involving a prepubescent minor or minor under the age of 12.  The Sioux City Police Department received two CyberTips about a Snapchat account uploading child pornography.  Law enforcement connected the account back to Morris.  During the execution of a search warrant on Morris’ electronics, Morris admitted he received and possessed child pornography, and it would be located on his phone and iPad.  Forensic analysis of his electronics showed that Morris possessed over 1,500 images and 6 videos of child pornography including materials that portrayed sadistic or masochistic conduct as well as infants and toddlers.    

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 was held before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Morris was sentenced to 66 months’ imprisonment and was ordered to pay $6,000 in restitution to the child victims.  Morris must also serve a 5-year term of supervised release following imprisonment.  There is no parole in the federal system.  Morris remains in custody of the United States Marshal until he can be transported to a federal prison.  

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 24-4086.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

Jacob Shafer, 34, from Mason City, Iowa, was sentenced September 12, 2025, in federal court in Sioux City.

Shafer pled guilty on May 7, 2025, to one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and one count of illegal possession of a firearm.  Shafer was previously convicted of possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver, and trafficking in stolen weapons in Iowa in March of 2022.  Both of these convictions prohibit a person from possessing any firearm.   

Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings showed that in March 2024, during the execution of a search warrant at Shafer’s home, law enforcement seized the following: four bags of methamphetamine; drug paraphernalia including pipes, bongs, grinders, and baggies; a digital scale; ninety-six .380 caliber Winchester rounds of ammunition; a Ruger LCP, .380 pistol, and a total of 6 rounds of ammunition, which included a round in the chamber; a Smith & Wesson .40 caliber pistol, and a total of 13 rounds of ammunition; an Intratec AB-10, 9mm pistol, and a total of 22 rounds of ammunition in the magazine; and a Rock Island Armory, .45 caliber pistol.  Shafer admitted he had plans to distribute the methamphetamine that officers found. 

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.

Sentencing was held before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Shafer was sentenced to 132 months’ imprisonment and will serve a four-year term of supervised release following imprisonment.  There is no parole in the federal system.  Shafer remains in custody of the United States Marshal until he can be transported to a federal prison.  

The case was investigated by the Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Office, Mason City Police Department, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigations, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin C. Fletcher and Kraig R. Hamit.  

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

The case file number is 24-3055.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

A man who illegally returned to the United States after being removed was sentenced September 11, 2025, to 127 days’ imprisonment.

Gerardo Santis-Jiron, also known as Pedro Simon Rivera-Perez, age 36, a citizen of Guatemala, received the prison term after a June 10, 2025 guilty plea to one count of being found in the United States after illegal reentry.

At the guilty plea, Santis-Jiron admitted he had previously been removed from the United States and illegally reentered the United States without the permission of the United States government.  Santis-Jiron was previously removed in 2009.  On April 27, 2025, immigration officials found him at the Linn County Jail following his arrest on state charges for operating while under the influence.

Santis-Jiron was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Santis-Jiron was sentenced to 127 days’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a one-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

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

This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline) 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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces

(OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Adam J. Vander Stoep and was investigated by Enforcement and Removal Operations of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

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

The case file number is 25-CR-36.

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Andrew Gross, 42, from Sioux City, Iowa, pled guilty September 11, 2025, in federal court in Sioux City.  Gross was convicted of possessing child pornography.

At the plea hearing, Gross admitted that between April 1, 2024, and May 14, 2024, he engaged in the receipt and possession of child pornography.  Sioux City Police received a report from the parents of a 15-year-old regarding conversations Gross was having with their child that were sexual in nature.  Further investigation revealed that Gross and the minor victim discussed sexually explicit messages which also contained photographs of the minor victim.  Gross also admitted to possessing other images and videos of child pornography.  In 2021, Gross had been convicted of offenses relating to aggravated sexual abuse involving a minor in Minnesota.    

Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Gross remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing.  Gross faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and at least five years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

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 Sioux City Police Department and the South Sioux City Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kraig R. Hamit.  

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The case file number is 25-4021.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

Roger Strickland, age 62, from Cherokee, Iowa, was sentenced September 9, 2025, in federal court in Sioux City, Iowa, to over 5 years in prison.  Strickland pled guilty on April 25, 2025, to two counts of possessing child pornography. 

Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings showed that from June 2022, through May 2023, Strickland received and possessed child pornography.  Agents searched Strickland’s home on May 25, 2023, and seized several pieces of evidence.  Agents asked to speak to whomever at the home was downloading child pornography and Strickland replied, “It’s me.”  Then, while agents were awaiting results of the forensic analysis of Strickland’s electronic devices, law enforcement was again notified Strickland was receiving and possessing child pornography.  Strickland admitted that between August 2023, through February 2024, Strickland received and possessed more child pornography even while knowing he was actively being investigated.  In total, over 225 videos and 8,000 images of child pornography were discovered on his electronic devices.  Strickland further admitted that the images and videos involved material portraying sadistic or masochistic conduct as well as prepubescent children, infants, and toddlers. 

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 was held before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Strickland was sentenced to 63 months’ imprisonment and must serve a 5-year term of supervised release following imprisonment.  There is no parole in the federal system.  Strickland was also ordered to pay $39,000 in restitution to the child victims in the case.  Strickland remains in custody of the U.S. Marshals Service until he can be transported to a federal prison.  

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

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The case file number is CR24-4067.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

A man who illegally returned to the United States after being removed multiple times was sentenced today to twelve months and one day in federal prison.

Fabian Arias-Ramirez, age 39, a citizen of Mexico illegally present in the United States and residing in Hampton, Iowa, received the prison term after a June 12, 2025, guilty plea to one count of illegal reentry into the United States after having been removed from the country. 

At the guilty plea, Arias-Ramirez admitted he had previously been removed from the United States and illegally reentered the United States without the permission of the United States government.  Arias-Ramirez was previously ordered removed in 2013 but absconded and was not actually removed until 2019.  After being removed in 2019, he was caught attempting to enter the country on multiple occasions and removed each time.  On April 22, 2025, immigration officials encountered Arias-Ramirez in Iowa Falls, Iowa, after he met with his probation officer following his second conviction for Operating While Intoxicated.  

This conviction was Arias-Ramirez’s third federal conviction for a crime related to illegal immigration.  He was previously convicted of two misdemeanor offenses of illegal entry.  Additionally, he has been convicted of Operating While Intoxicated in Iowa state court twice, in 2013 and 2024, as well as being convicted of Criminal Mischief. 

Arias-Ramirez was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  He was sentenced to twelve months and one day of 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 (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline) 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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

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

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The case file number is 25-cr-40.

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A woman who unlawfully used a social security card was sentenced today to 109 days in federal prison.  Cindy Fabiola Santos-Perez, age 35, a citizen of Guatemala, received the prison term after a guilty plea to one count of unlawful use of an identification document.

In a plea agreement, Santos-Perez admitted that on December 15, 2020, Santos-Perez used a fraudulent social security card to prove her authorization to work in the United States.  On April 13, 2021, she again used a fraudulent social security card to prove her authorization to work in the United States.  On May 17, 2022, she falsely represented a social security number to be her account number, and she did so with the intent to deceive. 

Santos-Perez was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Santos-Perez was sentenced to 109 days’ imprisonment.  She 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 (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline) 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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Devra T. Hake and investigated by the Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Homeland Security Investigations, and the Postville Police Department. 

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The case file number is 25-CR-2005.

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Daniel Kaler, 38, from Sioux City, Iowa, pled guilty September 8, 2025, in federal court in Sioux City to possessing child pornography.

At the plea hearing, Kaler admitted that from November 2023 to October 2024 he received and possessed over 7,000 images and videos of child pornography.  The images and videos involved material that portrayed sadistic or masochistic conduct, as well as prepubescent children, infants, and toddlers.  A CyberTip from Verizon’s cloud storage company to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children connected the downloads back to Kaler’s account.  Law enforcement obtained and executed a search warrant for Kaler’s electronic devices.  Analysis of Kaler’s devices showed he utilized third-party browsers called “Brave” and “Yandex” to search and download child pornography.  

Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Kaler was taken into custody by the United States Marshal after the guilty plea and will remain in custody pending sentencing.  Kaler faces a possible maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and at least five years of supervised release following any imprisonment.  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.”

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

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The case file number is 25-4016.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

Brian Oakleaf, 52, from Storm Lake, Iowa, pled guilty September 9, 2025, to two counts of possession of child pornography in federal court in Sioux City. 

At the plea hearing, evidence showed that from March 1, 2022, through July 29, 2024, Oakleaf received, distributed, and possessed child pornography, including a depiction involving a prepubescent minor or a minor who had not attained 12 years of age on two separate cellular phones.  In May 2024, law enforcement conducted an investigation online into a file sharing program and directed their focus on an IP address that was sharing child sexual abuse material (CSAM).  Investigation into the ownership of the IP address at the time of the file sharing led investigators to Oakleaf.  On July 29, 2024, investigators executed search warrants at Oakleaf’s residence and office at Storm Lake City Hall and seized cell phones and electronics.  Forensic analysis of Oakleaf’s devices further showed that he used the file sharing program investigators were targeting and used a litany of known child exploitation search terms to obtain CSAM.  Evidence further showed that he had used the alias of Dan Dyle to look at and trade child pornography.  In the plea agreement, Oakleaf admitted he possessed 1 video over 90 minutes in length and over 20,000 images of child pornography across the two phones.  The videos and images included depictions of toddlers, bondage, and sadistic and masochistic conduct.

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 Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Oakleaf was taken into custody by the United States Marshal after the guilty plea and will remain in custody pending sentencing.  Oakleaf faces a possible maximum sentence of 40 years’ imprisonment, a $500,000 fine, and at least five years of supervised release following any imprisonment.  There is no parole in the federal system. 

The case was investigated by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigations and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kraig R. Hamit.

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The case file number is 25-4020.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

Lawrence Moore, 37, from Bode, Iowa, was sentenced on September 4, 2025, to 96 months’ imprisonment.  On April 10, 2025, in federal court in Sioux City, Moore pled guilty to possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.  Moore was previously convicted of Armed Robbery and Aggravated Battery (three times) in Cook County, Illinois.  The convictions prohibited Moore from possessing any firearms or ammunition. 

At the plea and sentencing hearings, evidence showed that Moore was involved in negotiations for the buying and selling of firearms to other people.  During the fall of 2024, Moore communicated with an undercover agent, attempting to buy or trade a firearm with the agent.  Moore also discussed selling marijuana to the agent.  On November 18, 2024, a search warrant was executed at Moore’s residence.  Law enforcement located and seized a Smith & Wesson Model 59 semi-automatic pistol, which Moore had referenced previously to the agent.  The fully loaded firearm was located inside a void cut into the mattress in the bedroom shared by Moore and his wife.  Law enforcement also located and seized marijuana and drug use paraphernalia in the residence, including in the bedroom.  

Sentencing was held before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Moore was sentenced to 96 months’ imprisonment and must serve three years of supervised release following any imprisonment.  There is no parole in the federal system.  Moore remains in custody of the United States Marshal 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.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and was investigated by Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement.  

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The case file number is 24-3050.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

Bradley Winters, age 58, was sentenced today, to 20 years in federal prison, after a March 18, 2025, guilty plea to two counts of distribution of methamphetamine.  Bradley had previously been convicted of a serious drug felony.  Bradley’s criminal history is extensive, with 33 prior convictions.  His convictions include controlled substance violations (including a 2009 federal conviction for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and distribution of methamphetamine), multiple thefts, and multiple assaults. 

Gary Winters, age 63, was sentenced January 3, 2025, to 25 years in federal prison, after a July 24, 2024, guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and one count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.  Gary had previously been convicted of a serious drug felony in 2010.  Gary’s criminal history includes a 1999 possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and carrying firearms in connection with drug trafficking and a 2010 conviction for conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.

Evidence in the case revealed that between July 2023 and August 2023, Bradley Winters and Gary Winters were part of an ongoing drug conspiracy based in Mason City, Iowa to distribute methamphetamine.  Bradley Winters sold methamphetamine to a confidential informant, working with law enforcement.  Gary was serving a term of supervised release for his 2010 drug conviction when he was involved in the conspiracy, including his possession of over 180 grams of methamphetamine when he was stopped by law enforcement on August 24, 2023.

After Bradley was indicted in this case, he was released on pre-trial supervision.  Bradley failed to appear as ordered on July 18, 2024, in federal court in Sioux City.  It was later discovered that Bradley cut off his GPS ankle monitor.  An arrest warrant was issued for his arrest, and on July 26, 2024, Bradley was located by officers in Clear Lake, Iowa where he fled from officers on foot and fought with them.  Bradley was in possession of several baggies of methamphetamine, as well as more than $6,000 cash.  

Gary Winters was sentenced on January 3, 2025, in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand to 300 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a 10-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  Bradley Winters was sentenced today, by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand to 240 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a 10-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

Gary Winters and Brad Winters are being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until they can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was investigated Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Department, Clear Lake Police Department, and the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, and was 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 23-3032.

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Bradley Winters, age 58, was sentenced today, to 20 years in federal prison, after a March 18, 2025, guilty plea to two counts of distribution of methamphetamine.  Bradley had previously been convicted of a serious drug felony.  Bradley’s criminal history is extensive, with 33 prior convictions.  His convictions include controlled substance violations (including a 2009 federal conviction for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and distribution of methamphetamine), multiple thefts, and multiple assaults. 

Gary Winters, age 63, was sentenced January 3, 2025, to 25 years in federal prison, after a July 24, 2024, guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and one count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.  Gary had previously been convicted of a serious drug felony in 2010.  Gary’s criminal history includes a 1999 possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and carrying firearms in connection with drug trafficking and a 2010 conviction for conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.

Evidence in the case revealed that between July 2023 and August 2023, Bradley Winters and Gary Winters were part of an ongoing drug conspiracy based in Mason City, Iowa to distribute methamphetamine.  Bradley Winters sold methamphetamine to a confidential informant, working with law enforcement.  Gary was serving a term of supervised release for his 2010 drug conviction when he was involved in the conspiracy, including his possession of over 180 grams of methamphetamine when he was stopped by law enforcement on August 24, 2023.

After Bradley was indicted in this case, he was released on pre-trial supervision.  Bradley failed to appear as ordered on July 18, 2024, in federal court in Sioux City.  It was later discovered that Bradley cut off his GPS ankle monitor.  An arrest warrant was issued for his arrest, and on July 26, 2024, Bradley was located by officers in Clear Lake, Iowa where he fled from officers on foot and fought with them.  Bradley was in possession of several baggies of methamphetamine, as well as more than $6,000 cash.  

Gary Winters was sentenced on January 3, 2025, in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand to 300 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a 10-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  Bradley Winters was sentenced today, by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand to 240 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a 10-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

Gary Winters and Brad Winters are being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until they can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was investigated Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Department, Clear Lake Police Department, and the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, and was 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 23-3032.

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A man who sexually exploited children and distributed child pornography was sentenced September 3, 2025, to 20 years in federal prison.

Bryce Bock, 32, from Sioux City, Iowa, received the prison term after an April 7, 2025, guilty plea to sexual exploitation of a minor and distribution of child pornography. 

Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings showed that from July 1, 2022, through July 2, 2024, Bock used and coerced a minor under the age of 18 to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing visual depictions of such conduct.  Bock admitted to utilizing an app called Anonymous Chat to receive and send images of child pornography some included toddlers and sadistic and masochistic conduct.  A forensic review of Bock’s phone found he possessed 24 images of child sexual abuse material, including images of a known minor victim.  

Bock was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Bock was sentenced to 240 months’ imprisonment and was ordered to pay $1,200 in fines and assessments.  He must also serve a 5-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

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

This case was brought as part of Project Safe 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 Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office and 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 24-4074.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

Cleon Mitchell, Jr., 46, from Mason City, Iowa, was sentenced on September 4, 2025, to 12 years’ imprisonment.  Mitchell, Jr. pled guilty April 30, 2025, in federal court in Sioux City to possession of child pornography.

At the plea and sentencing hearings, evidence showed that from August 2022, through April 2024, Mitchell used the applications Kik and Snapchat to receive and possess visual depictions of child pornography which involved a prepubescent minor or minor under the age of 12.  Snapchat reported Mitchell Jr.’s account to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children who in turn reported the information to law enforcement.  Law enforcement connected the account back to Mitchell, Jr. and obtained a search warrant for his home and electronics.  During the execution of the search warrant, Mitchell, Jr. admitted he had received and possessed child pornography, and it would be located on his phone.  Forensic analysis of his electronics showed that Mitchell, Jr. possessed 30 videos and 50 images of child pornography including materials that portrayed sadistic or masochistic conduct as well as prepubescent children and toddlers.  Mitchell also later admitted he had engaged in a pattern of activity involving the sexual abuse or exploitation of a minor and he plead guilty to Lascivious Acts with a Child in February 2025 in Cerro Gordo County District Court. 

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 was held before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Mitchell, Jr. was sentenced to 144 months’ imprisonment, was ordered to pay $600 in fines and assessments, and must serve a 5-year term of supervised release following his prison sentence.  There is no parole in the federal system.  Mitchell, Jr. remains in custody of the United States Marshal until he can be transported to a federal prison. 

The case was investigated by the Mason City Police Department and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigations 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 24-3038.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

A man who was convicted of two counts of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine after having been previously convicted of a serious drug felony, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, and failure to appear, was sentenced yesterday to 25 years in federal prison. 

Nathan Nickless, age 40, from Dakota City, Humboldt County, Iowa, received the prison term after an April 1, 2025, guilty plea.  

At the plea and sentencing hearings, evidence showed that on August 12, 2023, in Fort Dodge, Iowa, law enforcement attempted a traffic stop on a truck Nickless was driving.  Nickless attempted to evade law enforcement onto a river road.  After ramming his truck into a non-law enforcement vehicle, Nickless stopped his truck and fled on foot but was apprehended while trying to climb a river embankment.  During the flight by foot, Nickless was in possession of a backpack.  In the backpack, law enforcement found a loaded 9mm pistol, multiple bags of narcotics including approximately 200 grams of methamphetamine, marijuana, psychedelic mushrooms, pills, THC gummies, ammunition, a scale, and multiple small baggies.

Nickless was federally charged but was allowed to remain released pending his July 8, 2024, federal trial.  Nickless failed to appear as required for trial and absconded from law enforcement over the next several months.  

 Evidence at the hearings further showed that, on September 28, 2024, in Humboldt County, Iowa, law enforcement became aware Nickless was in the area.  Law enforcement located Nickless and attempted to stop the vehicle he was driving.  He refused to stop and began a vehicle pursuit with law enforcement where he again abandoned the vehicle he was driving in a field by a river.  Law enforcement lost sight of Nickless when he went on foot along the river.  The abandoned vehicle was seized, and a search warrant was granted. 

Law enforcement searched the vehicle and found methamphetamine, multiple baggies of marijuana, pills, a scale, empty baggies for distribution, a methamphetamine pipe, and a marijuana pipe.  On October 2, 2024, Nickless was found hiding inside a residence in Humboldt County and was arrested.  

 Nickless was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Nickless was sentenced to 300 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a 10-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

Nickless 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 Attorneys Patrick T. Greenwood, and was investigated by the Webster County Sheriff’s Office, Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office, Fort Dodge Police Department, Iowa DCI Laboratory, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, and the U.S. Marshals Service.  

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.  The case file number is 23-3040.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

A man who possessed methamphetamine with intent to distribute it was sentenced on August 27, 2025, to more than eight years in federal prison.

Dylan Everett Halbur, age 33, from Spencer, Iowa, received the prison term after a March 28, 2025, guilty plea to one count of possession with intent to distribute a mixture of substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine.

At the plea and sentencing hearings, evidence showed that on August 26, 2024, law enforcement executed a search warrant on a camper in Spencer, Iowa, where Halbur was known to reside and store items.  Inside, law enforcement located approximately 45 grams of methamphetamine, $2,900 in cash, marijuana, a digital scale and other indicia of drug use and distribution.  Halbur admitted the methamphetamine was his and that he intended to distribute some or all of the methamphetamine to another.  

Halbur was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Halbur was sentenced to 105 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.

Halbur 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 Spencer Police Department, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, and the Iowa DCI Laboratory.  

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

The case file number is 24-4077.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

A man who conspired to distribute methamphetamine, distributed methamphetamine, and possessed with intent to distribute methamphetamine, was sentenced August 21, 2025, to more than 10 years in federal prison.

John Rothkehl, Jr., 40, from George, Iowa, received the prison term after an April 11, 2025, guilty plea.

Evidence at plea and sentencing hearings showed that from January 2022, through October 2024, Rothkehl and others conspired to distribute at least 150 grams of pure methamphetamine.  In September 2024 Rothkehl distributed methamphetamine to an individual cooperating with law enforcement.  In October 2024, law enforcement stopped a vehicle with Rothkehl as a passenger. A K-9 indicated the presence of controlled substances.  A search of the vehicle revealed over 35 grams of pure methamphetamine in the backseat with Rothkehl.  Rothkehl admitted he intended to distribute the methamphetamine to another person or persons.  Rothkehl was arrested and admitted that he had a fentanyl pill hidden in his underwear.  Evidence further showed that Rothkehl made trips to Spencer, Iowa, and South Sioux City, Nebraska, to obtain methamphetamine to further distribute in the George, Iowa, area.   

Rothkehl was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Rothkehl was sentenced to 130 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.

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

The case 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, and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Shawn Wehde and Kraig R. Hamit.  

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

The case file number is 24-4091.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

Cleveland Stephens, also known as “Schmitty,” age 63, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, pled guilty today in federal court in Cedar Rapids to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.

In a plea agreement, Stephens admitted that between August 2022 and June 2024, in the Northern District of Iowa, he agreed with another person to distribute at least 500 grams of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine, and at least 50 grams of actual (pure) methamphetamine.   

Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Stephens remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing.  Stephens faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, a $250,000 fine, and a lifetime term of supervised release following any imprisonment.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Devra T. Hake and Dillan Edwards and investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Cedar Rapids Police Department, the Linn County Sheriff’s Office, and the Benton County Sheriff’s Office.  This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation.  OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.  Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

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

The case file number is 24-CR-92.

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Jordan Michael Million, age 23, from Independence, Iowa, has been charged with one count of receipt of child pornography and two counts of possession of child pornography.  The charges are contained in an Indictment, unsealed on August 20, 2025, in United States District Court in Cedar Rapids. ­

The Indictment alleges that between April 2024 and December 2024, Million received child pornography.  It further alleges that, between April 2024 and December 2024, Million possessed child pornography on an Apple cellular telephone and that, between October 2024 and December 2024, Million possessed child pornography on a Motorola cellular telephone.

If convicted on all charges, Million faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of 40 years’ imprisonment, a $750,000 fine, $84,300 in special assessments, and a lifetime term of supervised release following any imprisonment.­

Million 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.

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 is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Devra T. Hake and was investigated by the Marshalltown Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, the Independence Police Department, the Buchanan County Sheriff’s Office, and the Cedar Bend Humane Society. 

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

The case file number is 25-CR-2048.  

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A man who possessed a firearm as a felon pled guilty today in federal court in Cedar Rapids.  Bruce Jovon Williams, age 34, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was convicted of one count of possession of a firearm by a felon. 

Evidence at a prior hearing showed that, on August 28, 2024, in Cedar Rapids, a woman reported to law enforcement that Williams had physically assaulted her and hit her with a gun.  Law enforcement officers found and approached Williams.  When Williams saw the officers, Williams ran into a nearby backyard and hid in a small garage.  He refused to leave the garage and was apprehended by a K9.  In the backyard, near the small garage, law enforcement officers found a firearm.  Williams has two felony convictions for theft in the second degree.  

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.

Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Williams remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing.  Williams faces a possible maximum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment without the possibility of parole, 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 FBI Safe Streets Task Force, comprised of representatives from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Cedar Rapids Police Department, and the Marion Police Department. 

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

The case file number is 24-CR-108.

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

Christopher Lee Caquelin, age 41, from Fort Dodge, Iowa, received the prison term after a March 26, 2025, guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and one count of distribution of a controlled substance.

At the guilty plea, Caquelin admitted that from January 1, 2023, to about October 31, 2024, Caquelin was part of an ongoing drug conspiracy based in Fort Dodge, Iowa, to distribute 50 grams or more of pure methamphetamine.  Caquelin and others sold methamphetamine to people in the Fort Dodge area.   

Caquelin was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Caquelin 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.

Caquelin 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 Kevin C. Fletcher and Jack Lammers and was investigated by Webster County Sheriff’s Office, Fort Dodge Police Department, and Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement.  

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.  The case file number is 24-CR-03049.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.