Northern District of Iowa

A Dubuque man who fired a pistol during an argument was sentenced on July 2, 2025, to 15 years in federal prison.  

Kenneth Moore, age 51, from Dubuque, Iowa, received the prison term after a January 16, 2025 jury verdict finding him guilty of one count of possession of a firearm by a felon.  

The evidence at trial showed that on August 4, 2023, around 4:00 a.m., Moore got into an argument with an individual on the porch of a residence in Dubuque.  During the argument, two individuals attempted to push Moore away from the argument and de‑escalate the situation.  As they were pushing Moore away, Moore fired a pistol towards the residence.  The bullet nearly hit two people, went through the front wall of the residence, and lodged in the back living room wall.  Moore then fled the scene.  Twelve days later, on August 16, 2023, officers arrested Moore and searched the car he was driving, where they recovered the pistol Moore fired on August 4.  Moore was prohibited from possessing firearms because he had previously been convicted of eleven felony convictions.  

Moore was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Moore was sentenced to 180 months’ imprisonment, and he must also serve a three‑year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

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

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

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

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

The case file number is 24‑CR‑01009‑CJW.

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Victor Howard, age 28, from Sioux City, was convicted by a jury today after a 3-day trial in federal court in Sioux City. Howard was found guilty of two-counts of possession of a firearm by an unlawful user of a controlled substance, and two-counts of making false statements during the purchase of firearms. The verdict was returned this afternoon following about 4 hours of jury deliberations.

The evidence at trial showed that Howard, while being investigated as a victim of a shooting, admitted to shooting at an individual who came to his residence over a dispute.  Howard claimed to be waiting for the shooter and as the shooter approached, Howard shot at him multiple times.  Howard admitted to law enforcement that he was smoking a “blunt” while he was waiting for the shooter to arrive, and further admitted to smoking marijuana, as well as illegally using Xanax.  During the investigation, Sioux City Police noted multiple gun purchases, 25 total, between November 2021 and September 2022—many after the initial shooting incident.  When purchasing these firearms, Howard made false statements in order to purchase the firearms.  Namely, certifying that he was not an unlawful user of controlled substances. 

Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Howard was taken into custody by the United States Marshal after the verdict was returned and will remain in custody pending sentencing.  Howard faces a possible maximum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment, and 3 years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

The case was investigated by Sioux City Police Department, Sgt. Bluff Police Department, the United States Department of Justice – Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, (ATF) and the United States Department of Justice – Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and is being 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 24-4005.

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A man who sold fentanyl in Dubuque was sentenced on July 1, 2025, to 60 months in federal prison.  Shon Dwayne Perkins, age 37, received the prison sentence after a December 19, 2024, guilty plea to one count of distribution of a controlled substance near a protected location.

Evidence at the hearing established that in addition to selling a fentanyl-xylazine mixture near a protected location, Perkins on multiple occasions sold fentanyl that contained xylazine.  Due to his distribution of the fentanyl xylazine mixture, a drug user buying and using the controlled substances distributed by Perkins developed necrosis of the arms that resulted in permanent scarring.

Perkins was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  He was sentenced to 60 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a 6-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

Perkins 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 L. Nagin and was investigated by the Dubuque Drug Task Force.

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

The case file number is 24-CR-01034.

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A man who possessed a firearm as a felon was sentenced today to two years in federal prison.

Chrishawn Lloyd Stuckey, age 43, from Birmingham, Alabama, received the prison term after a February 7, 2025 guilty plea to one count of possession of a firearm by a felon.

Evidence at the sentencing hearing showed that Stuckey was intoxicated while at a Wal-Mart in Waterloo, Iowa.  He left the store and drove erratically.  When a law enforcement officer attempted to stop his car, Stuckey refused to pull over.  Stuckey instead got onto an on-ramp to the highway.  Officers used a car maneuver to force Stuckey to stop.  Stuckey then put his car in reverse and backed up into a squad car, damaging it.  Officers found a loaded stolen firearm in Stuckey’s car.  Stuckey has felony convictions for trafficking in stolen weapons and possession of a firearm by a felon.

Stuckey was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Stuckey was sentenced to 24 months’ imprisonment and 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 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.

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

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

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

The case file number is 24-CR-2017.

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A man who escaped custody pled guilty June 30, 2025, in federal court in Sioux City.

Curtis Koesters, 45, from Sioux City, Iowa, was convicted of escape from custody.

At the plea hearing, Koesters admitted that in October 2024, he began pre-release confinement at the Dismas Charities Residential Reentry Center in Sioux City, Iowa.  Koesters had been in federal prison for a previous federal conviction of felon in possession of a firearm.  On November 4, 2024, Koesters did not return to the Center as required after leaving to look for employment.  In December 2024, after several weeks on the run, Koesters was arrested in Woodbury County, Iowa, and charged with multiple traffic violations.  

Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Koesters remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing.  Koesters faces a possible maximum sentence of 5 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release following any imprisonment.  There is no parole in the federal system. 

The case was investigated by U.S. Marshals Service 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 24-4087.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

A man who distributed child pornography was sentenced June 30, 2025, to nine years in federal prison.

Christopher Charles Smith, age 34, from Asbury, Iowa, received the prison term after a January 3, 2025, guilty plea to distributing child pornography.

At the guilty plea, Smith admitted he used a messaging service to communicate with others and trade child pornography.  In October of 2022, Smith distributed three videos of child pornography to an undercover law enforcement officer.

Smith was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Smith was sentenced to 108 months’ imprisonment and an 8-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.”

Smith 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 J. Reinert and investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  

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

The case file number is 24-CR-1011.

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A Cedar Rapids man who distributed pills containing fentanyl was sentenced June 30, 2025, to four years in federal prison.

Antonio Clarence Robertson, age 33, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after a January 16, 2025, guilty plea to possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.

Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings showed that on December 21, 2023, Cedar Rapids Police Department officers stopped a vehicle in which Robertson was a passenger.  During that traffic stop, officers observed him tucking an object underneath his person.  Officers ordered him out of the vehicle.  Robertson refused that order and officers removed him from the vehicle.  Officers observed an unlabeled pill bottle where he had been seated.  The unlabeled pill bottle contained fentanyl pills.  Officers searched Robertson and located multiple plastic bags containing additional pills.  As a result of the traffic stop, officers seized 227 pills containing fentanyl.  Prior to the traffic stop, officers believed they observed Robertson sell narcotics to another individual.  On December 22, 2023, Robertson met with investigators and admitted he sold fentanyl to another person.  

Robertson was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Robertson was sentenced to 48 months’ imprisonment.    He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

Robertson is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.  The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Michael S.A. Hudson and investigated by 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-31.

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A former Cedar Rapids resident who cashed a phony check from a Chicago law firm was sentenced on June 27, 2025, to two years in federal prison.  Shango Johnson, age 35, from Chicago, Illinois, received the prison term after a March 24, 2025, guilty plea to one count of aggravated identity theft.

In a plea agreement, Johnson admitted that, in November 2023, he obtained a false and fraudulent check in the amount of $9,634 purportedly drawn on a Chicago law firm’s account.  The law firm had closed the account in 2021 after its mail was stolen.  Johnson deposited the fraudulent check into his own bank account in Cedar Rapids.  The check falsely stated it was intended for Johnson’s “[p]ersonal injury final settlement payout”; in truth, Johnson had not received a settlement for a personal injury lawsuit and was not entitled to any of the funds in the law firm’s bank account.  Johnson then attempted to use funds drawn from the bogus check before his bank could discover that the check from the law firm was fraudulent.

Johnson has an extensive criminal history.  Johnson has more than 20 adult criminal convictions in state court, including for assault, forgery, perjury, and theft.

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

Johnson is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Timothy L. Vavricek and investigated by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.  The case file number is 24-CR-71.

An Eastern Iowa woman who stole over $25,000 in federal benefits intended for victims of the August 2020 derecho and the COVID-19 pandemic was sentenced on June 27, 2025, to over a year in federal prison.  Denisha Clarice Morrison, age 28, from Marion, Iowa, received the prison term after January 10, 2025, guilty pleas to one count of theft of government funds and one count of wire fraud.

On August 10, 2020, a severe storm, commonly referred to as a derecho, struck multiple counties in the Northern District of Iowa, as well as other parts of the States of Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana.  The derecho caused long-duration power outages across the Northern District of Iowa and extensive damage in Cedar Rapids in particular.  In response to the derecho, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (“FEMA”) declared Disaster No. 4557 for the State of Iowa on August 17, 2020.  Victims of the disaster who resided in the Iowa counties approved for assistance could apply to the FEMA for disaster relief assistance to help meet repair and replacement expenses not covered by insurance.  The derecho occurred less than six months after the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. 

In a plea agreement, Morrison admitted that, in October 2020, she received over $7,000 in FEMA benefits after falsely claiming she was living in an apartment on the west side of Cedar Rapids when the derecho hit and had suffered damage to her residence and personal property.  In truth, Morrison was not living there and suffered no damage from the derecho.

Morrison also admitted that, in June 2021, she filed a fraudulent application for Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) loan moneys.  At that time, the Small Business Administration (“SBA”) and its participating lenders offered low-interest, forgivable loans to small businesses who were suffering from the economic effects of the pandemic.  Morrison falsely claimed to be the owner of a cleaning business and, as a result, received $20,000 in fraudulent PPP moneys.

While her federal case was pending, Morrison committed a theft in Waterloo and violated the terms of her pretrial release on multiple occasions by testing positive for an illegal substance, failing to find full-time employment, and violating location monitoring requirements while in home detention.  Morrison has an extensive criminal history that includes a dozen other convictions in state court, including multiple theft and forgery convictions, carrying weapons, and assault causing bodily injury.

Morrison was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Morrison was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment.  She was ordered to make $27,191.45 in restitution to FEMA and the SBA.  She must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

Morrison is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until she can be transported to a federal prison.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Timothy L. Vavricek and investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General.  

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

The case file numbers are 24-CR-55 and 25-CR-2001.

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A man who conspired to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl and illegally possessed a firearm pled guilty June 27, 2025, in federal court in Sioux City.

Ryan Miller, 40, originally from Colorado, but most recently residing in Pilot Mound, Iowa, was convicted of one count of conspiring to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl and one count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.  Miller was previously convicted of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine in 2017, this conviction prohibits him from possessing a firearm. 

At the plea hearing, Miller admitted that from January 2024 through April 27, 2024, he and others conspired to distribute at least a half pound of methamphetamine and more than 1700 pills of fentanyl.  On April 21, 2024, Miller, along with two others were headed to Colorado to pick up more methamphetamine and to sell fentanyl pills.  They attempted to elude law enforcement in a high-speed vehicle chase during which Miller threw two pop cans containing fentanyl pills from the vehicle.  Miller’s two co-defendants made “false” 911 calls to law enforcement in an attempt to distract law enforcement and avoid capture.  Later the same date, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Miller’s residence and seized a small amount of methamphetamine, psilocybin mushrooms, marijuana, and a loaded .22 caliber Beretta handgun.

Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Miller remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing.  Miller faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment, a $8,250,000 fine, and at least eight years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and was investigated by 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.

A convicted federal felon who sold fentanyl and heroin that resulted in two overdose deaths in 2023 was convicted by a jury on June 25, 2025, after a three-day trial in federal court in Cedar Rapids.

Cody Kinzie Dittmar, age 34, originally from Dubuque, Iowa, but who was living Cedar Rapids, Iowa, at the time of the crimes, was convicted of distributing and conspiring to distribute heroin and fentanyl, resulting in two deaths.  The verdict was returned yesterday afternoon following about two hours of jury deliberations.

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

Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Dittmar remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing.  Dittmar faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment on each count and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment, $2,000,000 in fines, and a lifetime of supervised release following any imprisonment.

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

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

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

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A Reinbeck man who obtained a significant quantity of methamphetamine from a source of supply that he had met in federal prison was sentenced June 23, 2025, to 20 years in federal prison.  

Austin David Hansen, age 39, from Reinbeck, Iowa, received the prison term after a December 23, 2024 guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance after having previously been convicted of a serious drug felony.  

Information disclosed at Hansen’s sentencing hearing and other hearings related to this case showed that, beginning in December 2023, and continuing to May 22, 2024, Hansen worked with a California source of supply that Hansen had met in federal prison to ship methamphetamine and marijuana packages in the mail to post office boxes in Reinbeck, Dike, and Waterloo, Iowa.  After the methamphetamine and marijuana packages arrived at the Iowa post office boxes, Hansen worked with others to distribute the methamphetamine and marijuana to individuals in the Northern District of Iowa.  Hansen then sent packages containing thousands of dollars of drug proceeds to the source of supply in California.  In total, the California source of supply sent at least 37 packages to the Northern District of Iowa, and Hansen sent the source of supply over $260,000 of drug proceeds.    

During the investigation, law enforcement seized a package from California and intended for one of the post office boxes, and it contained over 5,000 grams of methamphetamine.  On May 22, 2024, officers executed several search warrants in this case, including at Hansen’s residence.  At Hansen’s residence, officers seized over 600 grams of methamphetamine, a firearm, over $12,000 in United States currency, and receipts of all the money packages Hansen sent to the source of supply in California.  

Hansen had previously been convicted of a federal drug trafficking crime and sentenced to federal prison in November 2011.  

Hansen was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Hansen was sentenced to 240 months’ imprisonment, and he must also serve a ten‑year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

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

 The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dillan Edwards and investigated by the United States Postal Service; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Tri‑County Drug Enforcement Task Force consisting of the Waterloo Police Department, Cedar Falls Police Department, Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office, Evansdale Police Department, Waverly Police Department, Hudson Police Department, La Porte City Police Department, and the Bremer County Sheriff’s Office; the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Mid‑Iowa Drug Task Force; the Grundy County Sheriff’s Office; the Iowa State Patrol; and the Santa Ana, California Police Department.  

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

The case file number is 24‑CR‑00044‑CJW.

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A man who was previously convicted of robbing the Cedar Rapids Bank and Trust on Council Street in Cedar Rapids on January 3, 2024, pled guilty to additional charges today in federal court in Cedar Rapids.

Andrew Philip Derr, age 22, from Fredrick, Maryland, was convicted of Two Convenience Store Robberies and Money Laundering.

In a plea agreement, Derr admitted that after being discharged from the military for misconduct in 2023, he moved to Iowa City and conducted a series of robberies in the Cedar Rapids, Iowa, area.  Derr admitted that on December 27, 2023, he robbed the Casey’s General Store in Robins, Iowa, and obtained over $7,000 in cash. Derr admitted that on January 1, 2024, he robbed the Kum & Go store on Four Oaks Drive in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  Derr was previously convicted and sentenced for robbing the Cedar Rapids Bank and Trust branch on Council Street in Cedar Rapids on January 3, 2024, in which he obtained over $16,000 in cash.  Derr admitted that after each robbery he laundered the stolen funds by making multiple deposits into his Maryland Bank account to disguise the nature, source of ownership of the funds.  Ultimately on January 3, 2024, Derr flew to Maryland, and subsequently made two deposits of robbery proceeds totaling more than $4,800.  When the United States Marshals Service tried to arrest Derr at his Iowa City, Iowa, apartment, they found a note stating, “Catch me if you can.” On January 12, 2024, Derr turned himself into Orleans Parish, Louisiana, Sheriff’s Office.  

Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Derr remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing.  Derr faces a possible maximum sentence of 60 years’ imprisonment, a $1,000,000 fine, and 3 years of supervised release following any imprisonment.  Additionally, Derr must forfeit the stolen funds from the convenience store robberies and the money that he laundered and will be required to pay restitution to the victims of his crimes.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick J. Reinert and was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, the United States Marshals Service’s Northern Iowa Fugitive Task Force, the Cedar Rapids Police Department, Robins Police Department, Linn County Attorney’s Office, the University of Iowa Police Department and the Orleans Parish, Louisiana, Sheriff’s Office.  

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

The case file number is 24-CR-00105

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A man who distributed and possessed child pornography pled guilty on Friday, June 20, 2025, in federal court in Cedar Rapids.  

At the plea hearing, Austin Kingsbury, age 23, from Tripoli, Iowa, admitted that between August 2022 and June 2023, he distributed visual depictions of child pornography.  Between December 2022 and June 2023, Kingsbury possessed child pornography, including of prepubescent children, on his cellular telephone.

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.  Kingsbury remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing.  Kingsbury faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of 40 years’ imprisonment, a $500,000 fine, $62,200 in special assessments, and a lifetime term of supervised release following any imprisonment.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Devra T. Hake and Dillan Edwards and was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, the Tripoli, Iowa Police Department, the Bremer County, Iowa Sheriff’s Office, the Cedar Rapids, Iowa Police Department, the Anchorage, Alaska Police Department, and the Alaska State Troopers Technical Crimes Unit.  

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.  The case file number is 24-CR-2049.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

A Honduran man who unlawfully used fraudulent identification documents was sentenced today to 102 days in prison.

Ramon Calderon-Rivera, age 37, a citizen of Honduras, received the prison term after an April 24, 2025, guilty plea to unlawful use of identification documents.

At the guilty plea, Calderon-Rivera admitted he used a fraudulent Social Security card and a fraudulent California driver’s license to prove his authorization to work in the United States when he completed employment and tax forms in November 2023 at a business in Iowa.  The number on the Social Security card was assigned to someone else.  Social Security cards and driver’s licenses are documents prescribed by statute or regulation for entry into or as evidence of authorized stay or employment in the United States.  

Calderon-Rivera was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Calderon-Rivera was sentenced to 102 days’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system. 

This case is part of 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. 

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.  The case file number is 25-CR-1014.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

A man who sexually exploited a child and distributed child pornography was sentenced today to 42 years in federal prison.  John James Dixon, age 41, from Dubuque, Iowa, received the prison term after a January 22, 2025 guilty plea to sexual exploitation of a child and distribution of child pornography.  

  Evidence at the sentencing hearing showed that between August 2023 and May 2024, on multiple occasions, John Dixon and his co-conspirator, Justin James Paisley, committed sexual acts with a prepubescent child.  They photographed and videotaped the child engaging in sexual conduct and sent those images to each other via text message.  Paisley also photographed a second prepubescent child engaged in sexually explicit conduct and sent the photograph to Dixon.     

Dixon was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Dixon was sentenced to 504 months’ imprisonment, must pay $6,000 in special assessments, 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 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.”

Dixon 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.  

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

The case file number is 24-CR-1032.

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A man who possessed methamphetamine with the intent to distribute was sentenced June 18, 2025, to more than 7 years in federal prison.

Todd Aaron Howard Hamilton Sutton, Jr., age 34, from Mason City, Iowa, received the prison term after a February 12, 2025, guilty plea.

In a plea agreement, Sutton admitted that on July 27, 2024, he was the driver of a vehicle pulled over for a traffic violation in Cerro Gordo County.  He was arrested for driving while barred and taken to the Cerro Gordo County Jail.  While being booked into the jail, law enforcement found a plastic baggie containing approximately 45 grams of methamphetamine Sutton had discretely hidden on his person.  Previously, Sutton had attempted to conceal drugs on his person on two prior occasions when being processed at the Cerro Gordo County Jail for other offenses.  Sutton has an extensive criminal history involving, amongst others, violence and drug convictions. 

Sutton was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Sutton was sentenced to 90 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a 4-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.  Sutton 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 Greenwood and investigated by the Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Department.  

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

The case file number is 24-CR03037.  

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Megan Elsbury, age 43, from Mason City, Iowa, was sentenced June 17, 2025, to 1 month in federal prison, after a February 7, 2025, guilty plea to one count of Acquiring a Controlled Substance by Means of Misrepresentation, Fraud, Deception, and Subterfuge.

In a plea agreement, Elsbury admitted to being employed and working at, at least three difference pharmacies located in Mason City, Iowa from 2008 to 2023.  During her employment, Elsbury admitted she diverted controlled substances such as codeine, phentermine, alprazolam, clonazepam, lorazepam, pregabalin, and tramadol, for her own personal use.  She created unauthorized prescriptions, and falsified prescription records/inventory, in the names of existing patients, primarily when the pharmacy was closed, filled the prescriptions, paid for the prescriptions, and took the prescriptions for her own personal use.

Elsbury was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand to 1 month imprisonment.  She must also serve a 1-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

Elsbury was released on the bond previously set and is to surrender to the United States Marshals on July 14, 2025.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s Diversion Control Division 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 25-03007.

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Jon Waugh, age 55, from Sioux City, Iowa, a man who possessed methamphetamine with the intent to distribute it within 1,000 feet of a protected location pled guilty June 12, 2025, in federal court in Sioux City.

On August 14, 2024, law enforcement officers contacted Waugh outside his apartment for an outstanding arrest warrant, while he was on his way to sell methamphetamine.  Officers searched Waugh and found and seized approximately 112 grams of methamphetamine and $854 in cash.  Law enforcement officers searched Waugh’s residence and seized over one kilogram of methamphetamine, a scale with meth, drug paraphernalia, and four firearms, one of which was stolen.  At the plea hearing, Waugh admitted he planned to distribute the methamphetamine to other individuals in Sioux City.  Waugh’s residence was within 1,000 feet of a protected location, specifically a local elementary school in Sioux City. 

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

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

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

Phillip Plummer, age 42, from Sioux City, Iowa, was sentenced today in federal court in Sioux City to 120 months’ imprisonment.  Plummer pled guilty February 10, 2025, to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, one count of distribution of methamphetamine within 1,000 feet of a school, and another count of distributing methamphetamine.

Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings showed that between 2022 and May 2023, Plummer and others conspired to distribute more than 5 kilograms of methamphetamine in the Sioux City area.  Plummer admitted to distributing methamphetamine on seven separate occasions to an individual cooperating with law enforcement, four of which occurred within 1,000 feet of schools, namely, Mater Dei Elementary School and Hunt Elementary School in Sioux City.  During the search of Plummer’s residence in May 2023, law enforcement officers seized 271.7 grams of pure methamphetamine, 155.6 grams of cocaine, 31.6 grams of suspected MDMA, 55.1 grams of suspected marijuana, 37.9 grams of suspected cocaine, two bags of medicated Jolly Rancher Gummies 600mg THC (109.9 grams) and two vape pens (73.2 grams).  Plummer intended to sell the majority of these controlled substances to persons in the Sioux City area. 

Sentencing was held before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Plummer was sentenced to 120 months’ imprisonment and must serve ten years of supervised release following the imprisonment.  There is no parole in the federal system.  Plumer remains in custody of the United States Marshal until he can be transported to a federal prison.  

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

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

The case file number is 24-4069.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

A Chicago‑area man who acted as a money launderer for a Mexico‑based drug trafficking organization was sentenced June 11, 2025 to nearly five years in federal prison.  

Jose Eladio Medina Valenzuela, age 45, from Cicero, Illinois, received the prison term after a January 6, 2025 guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.   

n a plea agreement, Medina Valenzuela admitted that, from May 2020 to October 2020, he worked with others to obtain proceeds from the sale of methamphetamine in Iowa and transfer those proceeds to individuals in Mexico to promote and facilitate the drug trafficking organization and operation.  Two drug traffickers obtained and distributed over 100 pounds of methamphetamine in Iowa, and they took a portion of those methamphetamine proceeds—over $335,000—to Medina Valenzuela in Cicero.  Medina Valenzuela then worked with others to get the methamphetamine proceeds to sources of supply in Mexico.  

Medina Valenzuela was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Medina Valenzuela 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.

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

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dillan Edwards and investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Tri-County Drug Enforcement Task Force consisting of the Waterloo Police Department, Cedar Falls Police Department, Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Department, Evansdale Police Department, Waverly Police Department, Hudson Police Department, La Porte City Police Department, and the Bremer County Sheriff’s Department; the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the United States Postal Inspection Service; and Homeland Security Investigations.  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-02041-LTS.

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A felon who possessed a firearm was convicted by a jury today after a three‑day trial in federal court in Cedar Rapids.

Marcus Dejohn Wallace, age 29, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was convicted of one count of possession of a firearm by a felon.  The verdict was returned this afternoon following about three hours of jury deliberations.

The evidence at trial showed that on September 5, 2024, Wallace led officers on a high-speed car chase through Cedar Rapids before pulling over in a residential neighborhood and running from officers.  He was apprehended by a police K-9 and taken into custody.  Law enforcement found a loaded firearm within throwing distance of where Wallace was apprehended.  The firearm was missing a magazine.  That missing magazine was later located in the path where Wallace had run.  Wallace has a prior federal conviction for distribution of heroin resulting in serious bodily injury.  

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

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Devra Hake, Shawn Wehde, and Dan Tvedt, 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 24-CR-90.

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A Guatemalan man who was in the United States illegally after being removed twice was sentenced today to 90 days in prison.

Hector Palencia-Morales, age 55, a citizen of Guatemala, received the prison term after an April 7, 2025, guilty plea to being found in the United States after illegal reentry.

           On March 1, 2025, Palencia-Morales was found at a residence in Postville, Iowa, while law enforcement officers were executing a search warrant at the residence.  Officers confirmed he was in the country illegally.  Officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested him on March 14, 2025.  Palencia-Morales had previously been removed from the United States in 2013 following a conviction for illegal entry and again in 2022.  

Palencia-Morales was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Palencia-Morales was sentenced to 90 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.

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.

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.  The case file number is 25-CR-1012. 

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An accountant and adjunct business instructor who laundered over $800,000 of the proceeds of a multi-state business email compromise scheme was sentenced today in federal court in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Margo Ann Williams, age 63, from Scranton, Pennsylvania, received the prison term after a September 12, 2024, jury verdict finding her guilty of one count of bank fraud, three counts of money laundering, three counts of engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity, and one count of money laundering conspiracy.

The evidence at trial showed that, between December 2022 and July 2023, five victims—a Cedar Rapids church, two businesses, a non-profit, and an individual—had their electronic payments misdirected due to hacked email accounts.  The email accounts were hacked while the victims were in the process of making large wire and automatic clearinghouse (“ACH”) transactions to others.  The victims received “spoofed” emails that falsely appeared to come from legitimate and trusted sources.  The fraudulent emails contained instructions to change the routing information for the wire and ACH transactions.  Unbeknownst to the victims, those accounts listed in the new instructions belonged to Williams.  After receiving “spoofed” emails, the victims instructed their banks to wire the funds according to the new payment instructions.  Williams received the funds into bank accounts she controlled, and then she rapidly transferred the stolen money to other bank accounts that she controlled.  Williams eventually transferred stolen funds to two national cryptocurrency exchanges and an individual in Florida.

For example, in June 2023, a Cedar Rapids church was engaged in a $7 million renovation of its campus.  The hackers compromised the email account of the project’s architect and caused the church to receive “spoofed” emails in which the email domain of the project’s general contractor was slightly changed.  As a result, the church representatives thought they were engaged in email correspondence with the project’s general contractor when, in truth, unknown individuals were impersonating the general contractor’s employees.  As a result, the church unwittingly wired over $466,000 to Williams’s shell corporation, “MBCI & Evercorp, LLC.”  Other victims in the business email compromise scheme included a hotel manager in Colorado, a large non-profit in Washington state, a self-employed homebuilder in Montana, and a general commercial contractor in Pennsylvania.

During the scheme, Williams repeatedly opened bank accounts at major national banks, including one in the name of her shell corporation.  As the banks discovered the fraud and closed the accounts, Williams continued to open new accounts at other banks in an effort to continue to perpetrate the fraud.  Williams claimed at trial that she was doing so at the direction of a famous British actor with whom she had formed a romantic relationship.  Williams earned approximately $25,000 from the scheme.  Williams made many personal purchases with the stolen money, including an Apple Watch and a Louis Vuitton handbag.

Williams was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Williams was sentenced to 48 months’ imprisonment.  She was ordered to make $594,037.41 in restitution to her victims.  She must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Timothy L. Vavricek and Kyndra A. Lundquist and was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Williams was released on the bond previously set and is to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on a date yet to be set.

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

The case file number is 23-CR-64.

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A Mexican man who was illegally in the United States pled guilty June 9, 2025, in federal court in Sioux City.

Gerardo Morales-Ramirez, a citizen of Mexico, was convicted of being a felon found in the United States after illegal reentry.

On February 28, 2025, Morales-Ramirez was arrested in Sioux City, Iowa, after an encounter with officers from the Department of Homeland Security.  Officers were able to determine Morales-Ramirez is a citizen of Mexico, that he did not have permission to lawfully be present in the United States, and that he was previously removed from the United States on three occasions.  Prior to his last removal in 2021, Morales-Ramirez had been convicted of felony operating while intoxicated – third or subsequent offense. 

Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Morales-Ramirez remains in custody of the United States Marshals and will remain in custody pending sentencing.  He faces a possible maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and not more than three years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

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

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

The case file number is 25-CR-4014.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

A Mexican man who was illegally in the United States pled guilty June 9, 2025, in federal court in Sioux City, Iowa.  Jose De Jesus Mejia-Fraijo, a citizen of Mexico, was convicted of being an aggravated felon found in the United States after illegal reentry.

On March 1, 2025, officers from the Iowa State Patrol encountered Mejia-Fraijo in Sioux City, Iowa, when they arrested him for driving without a valid driver’s license and interference with official acts after a brief attempt to flee from officers on foot.  Officers with the Department of Homeland Security were able to determine Mejia-Fraijo is a citizen of Mexico, that he did not have permission to lawfully be present in the United States, and that he was previously removed from the United States on two occasions.  Prior to his last removal in 2022, Mejia-Fraijo had been convicted of an aggravated felony offense, namely conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Iowa.    

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

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 is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick T. Greenwood and was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security.  Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.  The case file number is 25-4015.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

Aaron StandsAndLooksBack, a/k/a Aaron Woodman, 42, from Fort Dodge, Iowa, pled guilty June 4, 2025, in federal court in Sioux City to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.

At the plea hearing, StandsAndLooksBack admitted that between December 2020 and December 2023, he and others conspired to distribute at least 1.5 kilograms of methamphetamine.  Evidence also showed that StandsAndLooksBack obtained, by buying or stealing, methamphetamine to distribute to others.  StandsAndLooksBack also admitted that he stole sizable amounts of methamphetamine from his mother and resold the methamphetamine to others in the Fort Dodge, Iowa area.    

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

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and was investigated by the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Fort Dodge Iowa Police Department, Webster County Sheriff’s Office, Carroll 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 24-3053.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

Lance Paul White, 33, from Cherokee, Iowa, pled guilty on June 5, 2025, in federal court in Sioux City, to possession of child pornography.

At the plea hearing, White admitted to receiving and possessing child pornography.  After a CyberTip was received regarding White’s Gmail account, law enforcement established that White had possessed and viewed several graphic videos depicting child pornography.  Law enforcement traced the internet activity back to White’s address in Cherokee, Iowa.  White engaged in a consensual interview with officers at his home and admitted that he possessed child pornography, and several electronics were seized.  Forensic analysis of White’s electronic devices revealed dozens of videos and images of child pornography, as well as several AI or cartoon photographs and videos of child pornography.  Evidence further showed that the materials involved prepubescent minors and portrayed sadistic or masochistic conduct or other depictions of violence.   

Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  White remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing.  White faces 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 the Sioux City Police Department and Cherokee Police Department 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 24-4076.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

Dustin Burkhardt, 36, from Rockwell, Iowa, was convicted of possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine June 5, 2025, in federal court in Sioux City. 

At the plea hearing, evidence showed that on September 29, 2024, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by Burkhardt.  Law enforcement observed an open container in the vehicle and conducted a probable cause search.  Law enforcement located and seized a glass pipe in the center console and a backpack from the front passenger footwell.  Inside of the backpack was another pouch which contained four zip-top baggies containing 137.12 grams of pure methamphetamine.  Burkhardt admitted that all of the methamphetamine seized belonged to him and he intended to distribute some or all of the methamphetamine to another person or persons.   

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

The case was investigated by Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Iowa State Patrol, and Iowa DCI Laboratory 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 25-3015.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

A man who illegally possessed three guns and several ounces of methamphetamine was sentenced on June 3, 2025, in federal court in Sioux City. 

Felipe Alcaraz, Jr., 35, from Sioux City, Iowa, pled guilty on January 21, 2025, to three counts of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.  Alcaraz, Jr. was previously convicted of eluding and possession of a controlled substance – third or subsequent offense, both prohibit a person from possessing a firearm. 

At the plea and sentencing hearings, evidence showed that on several occasions Alcaraz, Jr. fled law enforcement’s attempts to conduct traffic stops of vehicles he operated, driving recklessly at high speeds creating danger to others.  Alcaraz, Jr. was found to be involved with at least three guns.  During two traffic stops, law enforcement located guns and ammunition, and on another traffic stop, defendant had two ounces of methamphetamine seized.  One gun was stolen, another had an altered serial number, and a third was sold to another federal felon caught with it during his attempted flight from law enforcement.  Alcaraz, Jr. admitted his involvement with at least 350 grams of methamphetamine which he intended to distribute to others in the Sioux City area.  

Sentencing was held before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Alcaraz, Jr. was sentenced to 125 months’ imprisonment and must serve a term of six years supervised release following imprisonment.  There is no parole in the federal system.  Alcaraz, Jr. 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 the Tri-State Drug Task Force based in Sioux City, Iowa, that consists of law enforcement personnel from the Drug Enforcement Administration; Sioux City, Iowa, Police Department; Homeland Security Investigations; Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office; South Sioux City, Nebraska, Police Department; Nebraska State Patrol; Iowa National Guard; Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; United States Marshals Service; South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation; and Woodbury County Attorney’s Office.    

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

The case file number is 24-4052.  

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Paul William Flett, age 44, from Humbolt, Iowa, was sentenced in federal court in Sioux City, Iowa, on June 3, 2025.  Flett pled guilty January 23, 2025, to one count to sexual exploitation of a child. 

Evidence in the case showed that Flett sent links and images of child pornography to underage girls and asked them to send images and videos of themselves to him.  On June 6, 2024, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Flett’s home and in a consensual interview, Flett admitted to the conduct and that he threw his phone in a closet when law enforcement arrived because he knew they were there for him.  Forensic analysis of Flett’s electronics and Kik account discovered a total of 16 videos and 60 images of child pornography including several that Flett had asked children to record of themselves.  The images and videos contained material that portrayed sadistic or masochistic conduct, as well as prepubescent children, infants, and toddlers.        

Sentencing was held before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Flett was sentenced to 180 months’ imprisonment, ordered to pay $3,600 in restitution and assessments, and ordered to serve a term of supervised release of 5 years following imprisonment.  There is no parole in the federal system.  Flett remains in custody of the U.S. Marshals Service until he can be transported to a federal prison. 

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

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Cyber-Crime Unit, and Webster County Sheriff’s Office in Missouri 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-CR-03036.  

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A Cedar Rapids man who was found in possession of hundreds of fentanyl pills and multiple firearms was sentenced on June 3, 2025, to more than eight years in federal prison.

Deshawn Cooks, age 34, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after a December 30, 2024, guilty plea to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime.

In a plea agreement, Cooks admitted he possessed 227 pills containing a detectable amount of fentanyl and 77 ecstasy pills, containing methamphetamine, which he intended to distribute in Cedar Rapids and the surrounding area.  Additionally, Cooks admitted that he possessed two Taurus 9mm caliber firearms for the purpose of protecting himself, his narcotics, and the proceeds from the sale of narcotics.

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.  

Cooks was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Cooks was sentenced to 102 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.

The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Jared Manternach and Assistant United States Attorney Dillan Edwards and investigated by 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-74.

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An unlawful user of methamphetamine and marijuana who possessed a sawed-off shotgun that he fired was sentenced today to five years in federal prison.

Tyler Dunlap, age 33, from Bennett, Iowa, received the prison term after a January 3, 2025 guilty plea to one count of being an unlawful user of controlled substances in possession of a firearm.

In a plea agreement, Dunlap admitted that on October 30, 2023, he was involved in a verbal dispute with another person.  That person left the home but saw Dunlap with a shotgun and called law enforcement.  Deputies and officers arrived at the residence.  As they approached the house going down a long lane, a deputy heard Dunlap fire the shotgun out the back of the house.  Dunlap did not know that law enforcement officers were on the scene at the time he discharged the gun.  After an officer contacted him, Dunlap left the house unarmed.  Officers found the shotgun, a used shell, and drug paraphernalia in the house.  Later tests revealed that Dunlap had methamphetamine and marijuana in his system at the time.

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

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.

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

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Anthony Morfitt and investigated by the Cedar County Sheriff’s Office and the Tipton Police Department.  

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

The case file number is 24-CR-85.

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A Cedar Rapids man who distributed thousands of fentanyl pills was sentenced on June 2, 2025, to more than six years in federal prison.  

Artadius Damon Robinson, age 24, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after a December 31, 2024 guilty plea to one count of distribution of a controlled substance. 

Information disclosed at the sentencing hearing showed that, between April 2022 and August 2023, Robinson distributed thousands of fentanyl pills in the Cedar Rapids area.  At one point, Robinson bragged that he made $1,000 a day selling fentanyl.  During the period he was distributing fentanyl, Robinson possessed a firearm with an extended drum magazine attached.  Robinson had been ineligible to possess firearms since 2020 due to two firearm‑related felony convictions.  

Robinson was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Robinson was sentenced to 78 months’ imprisonment, and he must also serve a three‑year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.  Robinson is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dillan Edwards and investigated by the Johnson County Drug Task Force, consisting of the Johnson County Sherriff’s Office, the Iowa City Police Department, the Coralville Police Department, the North Liberty Police Department, the University of Iowa Police Department, and the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; the Cedar Rapids Police Department; and the Drug Enforcement Administration. 

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is 24‑CR‑00057.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

A man who distributed, and conspired to distribute, fentanyl was sentenced to 11 years in federal prison on May 30, 2025.  Alexander Sebastian, age 30, from Fort Dodge, Iowa, received the prison term after a January 31, 2025, guilty plea to conspiring to distribute fentanyl.

Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearing showed that from December 2020 and February 2024, he and others were involved in a conspiracy to distribute pills containing fentanyl across Iowa, Nebraska, and Minnesota, and that he took part in the distribution of over 20,000 pills.  Sebastian admitted that, in October 2022, as part of the conspiracy, he knowingly participated in the distribution of pills containing fentanyl to another who then died from a fentanyl overdose.  

Sebastian was sentenced in Sioux City, Iowa, by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Sebastian was sentenced to 132 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  He was further ordered to pay the family of the victim $7,000 in restitution.  There is no parole in the federal system.  Sebastian is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick T. Greenwood and investigated by the 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. 

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 24-3026.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

A Chicago man who possessed and distributed controlled substances and also possessed a firearm as a felon was sentenced today to five years in federal prison.

Ra-Melle Lewis Williams, age 53, from Chicago, Illinois, received the prison term after a December 23, 2024 guilty plea to Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance. 

Williams had a prior conviction for attempted murder and aggravated battery with a firearm.  In April 2023, when law enforcement executed a search warrant at his residence, they located methamphetamine, cocaine and fentanyl, along with a firearm.

Williams was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Williams was sentenced to 60 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.

Williams 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 L. Nagin, and it was investigated by the Floyd County Sheriff’s Office, the Iowa Department of Public Safety, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

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- 02028.

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A convicted felon who possessed a gun that he displayed in public and then resisted arrest was sentenced today to more than a year in federal prison.

Jason Harris, age 37, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after a December 30, 2024, guilty plea to one count of felon in possession of a firearm.

Evidence at the sentencing hearing showed that on July 26, 2024, Harris possessed a loaded handgun.  Harris took the gun out while a fight was occurring between other individuals.  Cedar Rapids police officers arrived and saw Harris with the gun in his pants.  As the officers approached him, Harris said “nope” and attempted to flee.  Officers caught him quickly, but he continued to resist and reach for the gun.  Harris has prior felony convictions for driving under the influence and felon in possession of a firearm.

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

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

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

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Anthony Morfitt and investigated by the Cedar Rapids Safe Streets Task Force.  The task force is composed of representatives from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Cedar Rapids Police Department.   

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

The case file number is 24-cr-77.

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A man who conspired with others to distribute methamphetamine and launder money was sentenced today to 30 years in federal prison. 

Francisco Murillo, age 31, from San Bernardino, California, received the prison term after a December 20, 2024, guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings showed that Murillo was involved in a large-scale drug trafficking organization that was responsible for sending methamphetamine from California to Iowa through the United States Postal Service.  Murillo and others in California sent packages containing methamphetamine through the United States Postal Service to several addresses in Cedar Rapids.  Murillo’s co-conspirators in Iowa sent the cash proceeds from the distribution of controlled substances back to California in packages that listed fake names and return addresses.

Murillo was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Murillo was sentenced to 360 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.

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

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Adam J. Vander Stoep and was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Task Force.  The DEA Task Force consists of the DEA, the Linn County Sheriff's Office, the Cedar Rapids Police Department, the Marion Police Department, and the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement.  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 22-CR-91.

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A man who conspired to distribute controlled substances by mailing packages with methamphetamine and fentanyl from Arizona to Dubuque, Iowa, was convicted by a jury on May 29, 2025, after a four-day trial in federal court in Cedar Rapids.

Daniel Alan Van Gorp, age 43, who was living in Arizona at the time, was convicted of one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, both fentanyl and methamphetamine.  The jury also found that the fentanyl Van Gorp conspired to distribute resulted in a serious bodily injury to a victim in Iowa.  The verdict was returned following about five hours of jury deliberations.

The evidence at trial showed that Van Gorp mailed multiple packages with fentanyl pills, fentanyl powder, and “ice” methamphetamine to Alexander Chapman in Dubuque, Iowa.  Chapman then re-distributed the controlled substances to others in the Dubuque area.  The evidence at trial also showed that on May 15, 2023, the fentanyl powder that was mailed by Van Gorp was used by a victim and the victim suffered a serious bodily injury. 

Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Van Gorp remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing.  Van Gorp faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nicole L. Nagin and was investigated by the Dubuque Drug Task Force, the United States Postal Inspection, and the Phoenix Police Department.  Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is 24-CR-1003.

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A man who distributed fentanyl and cocaine was sentenced May 22, 2025, to more than seven years in federal prison.

Kendrick Ankum, age 52, from Marion, Iowa, received the prison term after a January 27, 2025, guilty plea to Possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance and possession of a firearm by a felon.

Evidence at the guilty plea and sentencing hearing showed that on four occasions between March 28, 2024, and April 25, 2024, Ankum distributed fentanyl and cocaine to a confidential source.  On May 16, 2024, investigators searched Ankum’s properties.  At his Marion residence, officers located four firearms, 2,518 pills containing fentanyl, and over 750 grams of cocaine.

Ankum was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Ankum was sentenced to 87 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.

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

The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Michael S.A. Hudson and was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Task Force consisting of the DEA; the Linn County Sheriff's Office; the Cedar Rapids Police Department; the Marion Police Department; and the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement.

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

The case file number is 24-CR-86.

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A man who used his car to hit a Deputy United States Marshal’s car and then grabbed a loaded firearm was sentenced on May 22, 2025, to fourteen years in federal prison.

Nathan Isadore Jiles, age 25, from Hiawatha, Iowa, received the prison term after an October 15, 2024 guilty plea to possession of a firearm by a felon and a December 5, 2024 guilty plea to assault of a federal officer involving physical contact with the victim. 

Information from the sentencing showed that, on May 17, 2024, there was a warrant for Jiles’s arrest.  Members of the United States Marshals Service Northern Iowa Fugitive Task Force initiated a vehicle pin maneuver to arrest Jiles near the intersection of Interstate 380 and Blairs Ferry Road in Cedar Rapids.  Law enforcement vehicles were positioned on all four sides of Jiles’s car.  Law enforcement officers instructed Jiles to turn his car off and throw the keys out of the window.  Instead, Jiles reversed his car into a car occupied by a Deputy United States Marshal, causing the car door and dash to hit the deputy.  Jiles’s actions caused the deputy’s car to strike a Sixth Judicial District High Risk Unit Officer who was stationed behind the car in the chest.  Another officer approached Jiles’s car and tased him.  Jiles rolled up his window to disrupt the taser, and the officer broke the car window.  The officer saw Jiles holding a firearm with an extended magazine.  Jiles was either trying to work the slide of the firearm or pull the firearm from a holster.  The officer alerted the other members of the task force that Jiles was in possession of a firearm.  Jiles dropped the firearm but continued to resist arrest by pulling his hands back into the car where the loaded firearm was.  Officers had to tase Jiles several more times and then wrestle him out of his car and away from the firearm.  Jiles has prior convictions for sexual abuse in the third degree and felon in possession of a firearm. 

Jiles was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Jiles was sentenced to 168 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.

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

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kyndra Lundquist and investigated by the United States Marshals Service and the Northern Iowa Fugitive Task Force.  The Northern Iowa Fugitive Task Force is comprised of officers from the United States Marshals Service, United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Cedar Rapids Police Department, Waterloo Police Department, Marion Police Department, Independence Police Department, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, and the Iowa Department of Corrections

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

The case file number is 24-CR-0039.

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Robert Shawn Griffin, age 26, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was sentenced on May 22, 2025, in federal court in Cedar Rapids after previously pleading guilty to possession of a firearm by a felon.    

In a plea agreement, Griffin admitted that he was previously convicted of multiple felony offenses.  Information at the sentencing hearing showed that Griffin committed several firearm-related offenses in 2024.  In February 2024, in Cedar Rapids, Griffin fired a firearm at a residential house.  In March 2024, at a storage facility in Cedar Rapids, Griffin pointed a firearm at another individual and pulled the trigger though the firearm did not discharge.  In April 2024, in rural Center Point, Iowa, Griffin possessed a firearm while trying to steal an ATV.  

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.

Griffin was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Griffin was sentenced to 64 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.  

Griffin 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 Special Assistant United States Attorney Jared Manternach and was investigated by the Linn County Sheriff’s Office.

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

The case file number is 24-CR-56.

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Jacob Samuel Yang, age 36, from Tama, Iowa, pled guilty today in federal court in Cedar Rapids to distributing child pornography and possessing child pornography.

In a plea agreement, Yang admitted that in March 2024, he sent child pornography to other people.  He stored child pornography on his cellular phone and computer.  The child pornography included a depiction of an infant or toddler.  

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.  Yang remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing.  Yang faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of 40 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, $62,200 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 Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, the Tama County Sheriff’s Office, the Tama Police Department, and the Marshalltown Police Department.  

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

The case file number is 25-CR-24.  

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Larry Snyder, Jr., 44, from Merrill, Iowa, was sentenced May 16, 2025, in federal court in Sioux City.  Snyder, Jr. pled guilty on January 7, 2025, and January 30, 2025, to one count of conspiring to distribute methamphetamine and four counts of distributing methamphetamine.

Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings showed that from November 2023 through August 2024, Snyder, Jr. and others conspired to distribute 1500 grams or more of methamphetamine in the Sioux City, Iowa area.  On four occasions in 2024, Snyder, Jr. distributed a total of over 650 grams of pure methamphetamine to an individual cooperating with law enforcement.  The last transaction occurred within 1000 feet of an elementary school.  Evidence further showed that on August 26, 2024, Snyder, Jr. and a co-conspirator were in possession of or involved with an additional 479 grams of pure methamphetamine.  In September 2024, Snyder, Jr. tried to elude law enforcement by means of a high-speed chase, and later, a foot-pursuit with law enforcement agents before his apprehension. 

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

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

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

The case file number is 24-4064.  

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Gregory William Douglas McCormick, 23, from Mapleton, Iowa, was sentenced May 20, 2025, to 5 years in federal prison.  McCormick received the prison term after a January 6, 2025, guilty plea to possession of child pornography.

Evidence in the case showed that between May 1, 2022, and February 23, 2023, McCormick received, distributed, and possessed child pornography.  In 2022, the internet messaging application Kik became aware one of its users uploaded approximately seven files that depicted child pornography.  Kik reported the account to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and a CyberTip report was assigned to the Iowa Internet Crimes Against Child Task Force.  Law enforcement tracked the account back to McCormick.  Law enforcement executed a search warrant at McCormick’s residence and during an interview with law enforcement he confirmed he was the individual responsible for the receipt and distribution of child pornography connected to the CyberTip.  McCormick admitted there would be child pornography on his current cell phone as well as two older cell phones.  A forensic search of McCormick’s cell phones and Kik account showed he possessed a total of 120 images and 7 videos of child pornography.  The videos and images included infants and toddlers as well as sadistic and masochistic conduct. 

McCormick was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand.  McCormick was sentenced to 60 months’ imprisonment.  He was ordered to make $10,100 in restitution 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.  McCormick 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 Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Cyber Crime Bureau 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 24-CR-4047.  

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Daniel Smith, 38, from Fort Dodge, Iowa, pled guilty on May 20, 2025, to one count of illegal possession of firearms, in federal court in Sioux City.  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 prohibited Smith from possessing firearms. 

At the plea hearing, Smith admitted that in November 2024, in Fort Dodge, Iowa, he possessed one rifle and two shotguns which had been provided to him by another person to clean/store.  On November 16, 2024, law enforcement went to Smith’s residence regarding 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 guns, 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 before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Smith remains in custody of the United States Marshal and will remain in custody pending sentencing.  Smith faces a possible maximum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and not more than three years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

The case is being 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.  

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A man who sexually exploited two children was sentenced today to 45 years in federal prison.

Justin James Paisley, age 35, from Dubuque, Iowa, received the prison term after a December 18, 2024 guilty plea to sexual exploitation of children and distribution of child pornography.

Evidence at the sentencing hearing showed that between the spring of 2022 and May 2024, on multiple occasions, Paisley and his co-conspirator, John Dixon, committed sexual acts with a prepubescent child.  They photographed and videotaped the child engaging in sexual conduct and sent those images to each other via text message.  Paisley also photographed a second prepubescent child engaged in sexually explicit conduct and sent the photograph to Dixon.    

Paisley was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Paisley was sentenced to 540 months’ imprisonment and must also serve a 10-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.”

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

John Dixon’s sentencing hearing has been scheduled for June 23, 2025.  Dixon remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing.  Dixon faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of 50 years’ imprisonment, a $500,000 fine, $95,200 in special assessments, and life term of supervised release following any imprisonment.

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

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

The case file number is 24-CR-1032.

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A man who conspired to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl pled guilty May 8, 2025, in federal court in Sioux City.

 William Clark, Jr., 40, from Story City, Iowa, was convicted of one count of conspiring to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl.

 At the plea hearing, Clark, Jr. admitted that from January 2024 through April 27, 2024, he and others conspired to distribute at least ½ pound of methamphetamine and more than 1700 pills of fentanyl.  On April 21, 2024, Clark, Jr., along with two others were headed to Colorado to pick up more methamphetamine and to sell fentanyl pills.  They attempted to elude law enforcement in a high-speed vehicle chase.  Clark, Jr. also made a “false” 911 call to law enforcement in an attempt to assist his attempted eluding and avoid their capture with evidence of drug trafficking.  

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

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney 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.

Bobby Rhoden, age 50, from Sioux City, was sentenced today, to 31 years in federal prison, after a 5-day jury trial in April 2024, finding him guilty of one count of kidnapping and one count of possession of ammunition by a felon and drug user.

Evidence at trial and sentencing showed the kidnapping began with defendant manipulating the victim – including by threatening her daughter – out of a domestic abuse shelter and into his car.  Over the next 36 hours, while armed with a knife and a handgun, Rhoden took his victim’s glasses, brutalized her, and drove her to at least two locations where he terrorized others as well (including a mother and small children).  Ultimately, the victim ran out of the garage — zigzagging for her life — as defendant pursued her and fired his gun. 

A subsequent investigation of the kidnapping revealed live ammunition and a spent casing in the garage where Rhoden lived and which was one of the locations where he held his victim.  Additionally, it came to light that leading up to the kidnapping, Rhoden had put a gun to his victim’s head and pulled the trigger, isolated her by taking or breaking her phone, and made recordings, of a sexual nature, of her, without her consent.  Also, the evidence showed that during the investigation, Rhoden took steps to influence his victim and, also, his estranged wife by asking them to claim ownership of the firearm, and by hiding the firearm

Rhoden has a long criminal history.  His past felony convictions include two counts of forgery in Scott County, Iowa, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance in Scott County, Iowa and conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Iowa.  Upon leaving prison Rhoden rearmed and boasted that he had done so and was standing by to blow off someone’s kneecap if he needed to do so. 

Rhoden was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand to 372 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.

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

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

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

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

The case file number is 22-4073.

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 A Sioux City man was sentenced May 15, 2025, to more than 7 years in federal prison.

 Uriah Jordan Buffalo Chief-Torrez, II, 36, from Sioux City, Iowa, received the prison term after a January 21, 2025, guilty plea to receipt and possession of child pornography.

At the sentencing hearing, evidence showed Buffalo Chief-Torrez was found to be in receipt of and possession of child pornography.  In September and October 2023, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children submitted to law enforcement six CyberTip reports from Synchronoss showed Buffalo Chief-Torrez uploaded approximately 56 files containing child sexual abuse material.  In an interview with law enforcement, Buffalo Chief-Torrez admitted individuals on several social media platforms had tried to show and sell him child pornography.  Buffalo Chief-Torrez admitted that individuals on Telegram would sell him “CP” for $65.  Buffalo Chief-Torrez admitted that he viewed 15 or 16 videos of child pornography.  Buffalo Chief-Torrez admitted he downloaded child pornography on nine separate occasions and had streamed child pornography on social media.  Forensic analysis of defendant’s phone showed he possessed 24 images and 56 videos of child pornography.  The images and videos contained material that portrayed sadistic or masochistic conduct or the sexual abuse and exploitation of infants and toddlers.

Buffalo Chief-Torrez was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Buffalo Chief-Torrez was sentenced to 90 months’ imprisonment.  He was also ordered to pay $4,200 in restitution 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.      

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.”

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

The case was investigated by the Sioux City 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-CR-4029.