Northern District of Iowa

An illegal alien who used someone else’s social security number to obtain employment was sentenced today to over eight months in federal prison.

Jesus Isreal Ubaldo-Cano, age 32, a citizen of Mexico illegally present in the United States and residing in Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison term after an August 6, 2026, guilty plea to two counts of unlawful use of identification documents.

At the guilty plea, Ubaldo-Cano admitted he used a fraudulent Social Security card and number, both belonging to an actual United States citizen, to prove his authorization to work in the United States.  Ubaldo-Cano used the fake card, number, and name when he completed employment and tax forms in August and October 2022 at two businesses in Northeast Iowa.    

Ubaldo-Cano was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Ubaldo-Cano was sentenced to 100 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.

Ubaldo-Cano is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transferred into the custody of immigration officials.

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

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney 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 26-CR-2033.

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A man who threatened to shoot up a community event and who sent multiple people threatening messages featuring guns was sentenced today to more than six years in federal prison.  

Daniel Scott Carter, age 42, from Elberon, Iowa, received the prison term after a May 1, 2026, guilty plea to possession of a firearm by a felon.

Information at sentencing showed that in May 2024, Carter posted a photograph on Facebook of an AK-47-style firearm with the caption, “Say hello to my little friend.”  In the comments section of his post, Carter threatened to shoot people at an upcoming community event and commit a “baptism by blood.”  He also sent photographs of a different gun to multiple people, along with threatening text messages.  In June 2024, law enforcement officers seized seven firearms that belonged to Carter, including an AK-47-style firearm that matched the firearm in Carter’s earlier Facebook post. 

Carter was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Carter was sentenced to 78 months’ imprisonment and must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

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

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

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Devra T. Hake and investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, the Tama County Sheriff’s Office, and the Linn County Sheriff’s Office.  

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

The case file number is 25-CR-85.

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A man who possessed child pornography and used Artificial Intelligence to produce other child sexual abuse materials (CSAM), pled guilty September 29, 2026, in federal court in Sioux City.

Evan Marra, 31, from Hull, Iowa, was convicted of one count of possession of child pornography and one count of producing, receiving, and distributing obscene visual representations of the sexual abuse of children.

At the plea hearing, Marra admitted that from November 1, 2019, through May 14, 2026, he received and possessed child pornography which consisted primarily of images depicting prepubescent males ages 3-12 engaged in sex acts with adults.  Law enforcement received CyberTips from Marra’s cellphone cloud-storage provider and recognized one image as AI-generated materials depicting known minors from the local area.  Search warrants executed on Marra’s social media accounts revealed 50 videos of child pornography and several AI-generated videos of known local victims.  During a search warrant of Marra’s electronics, law enforcement found AI-generated CSAM of local victims with their faces inserted in the images of CSAM so it appeared as if they were being abused.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.

Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Marra remains in custody of the United States Marshal and will remain in custody pending sentencing.  Marra faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of 40 years’ imprisonment, a $500,000 fine, and at least five years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

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

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

The case file number is 26-4037.  

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An Iowa attorney who made a false statement to Iowa Medicaid was sentenced on September 11, 2026, to six months in federal prison.  Timothy Mark Anderson, age 67, from Garner, Iowa, received the prison term after an October 30, 2025, guilty plea to one count of false statement relating to a health care matter.

Evidence at Anderson’s plea and sentencing hearings showed that Anderson is an attorney licensed to practice in Iowa.  Anderson offers financial, tax, and estate planning services from his law office in Garner.  Anderson’s legal services have included assisting elderly clients with Medicaid eligibility.  Anderson is also an avid collector of Rolls-Royce and other luxury vehicles.

Medicaid is a cooperative federal-state health care benefit program for low-income persons and others, including the elderly.  As part of his legal practice, Anderson prepared and submitted applications for Iowa Medicaid-funded nursing home care.  Iowa Medicaid has rules for eligibility, including an evaluation of the financial resources available to the applicant.  In determining the resources of an individual, one automobile is exempt, regardless of value, if it is used for the transportation of the Medicaid applicant or a member of the applicant’s household.

Between 2017 and 2022, Anderson told elderly individuals and their heirs to engage in a series of purported transactions with his vehicle collection.  Anderson directed families to have the elderly person purportedly “buy” one of his Rolls-Royce or other luxury vehicles before applying for Medicaid benefits.  Later, Anderson told the families to have the elderly persons “gift” the same vehicles to the heirs, who then “sold” the vehicles back to Anderson at a lower price.  The purported purchasers of Anderson’s vehicles never drove the vehicles and, for the most part, never saw them.  

For example, in 2021, an elderly couple had over $400,000 assets, including a 2020 Chevrolet Equinox valued at $30,000.  The couple wanted to become eligible for Iowa Medicaid, have Iowa Medicaid pay for nursing home expenses, and pass on their assets to their heirs.  The husband in the couple was receiving nursing home care at the time without public assistance.

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

On November 4, 2021, Anderson wrote Iowa Medicaid and provided a series of documents to qualify the husband for Iowa Medicaid benefits.  Anderson provided a document that stated that the Phantom V had a fair market value of $194,000.  At the time Anderson submitted the form to Iowa Medicaid, he knew that the fair market value of the car was not $194,000.

Anderson was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Anderson was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment and fined $25,000.  He was ordered to make $184,274.36 in restitution to Iowa Medicaid.  He must also serve a two-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.  In sentencing Anderson, Judge Strand found that Anderson’s luxury vehicle sales to the elderly Medicaid applicants were “obviously fraudulent and illegal.”

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

Anderson was released on the bond previously set and is to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on a date yet to be set.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Timothy L. Vavricek and investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.  The case file number is 25-CR-3053.

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A man who stole two motor vehicles, during a 13-day crime spree, was sentenced today 20 years in federal prison.

Manaen Rave, age 27, from Sioux City, received the prison term after a June 1, 2026, guilty plea to two counts of Interstate Transportation of Stolen Motor Vehicle and one count of Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition by a Felon.

Evidence in the case revealed on February 16, 2025, Rave carjacked a motor vehicle by pistol whipping his victim in the head with a .22 revolver, requiring her to receive treatment at a hospital.  He drove the car to ditch near Homer, Nebraska, where he abandoned it.  

9 days later, on or about February 27, 2025, Rave stole a second vehicle, leaving his victim standing in a gas station parking lot.  On March 1, 2025, Sioux City officers located the second stolen vehicle in a neighborhood a block away from a residence Rave was known to frequent.  In the vehicle, officers located an empty firearm holster.  Rave refused commands to exit the nearby house, resulting in officers obtaining a search warrant and SWAT deploying and pulling Rave out from behind a wall in a bedroom closet.  Keys to the stolen car were located in the same room. 

Rave has an extensive criminal history including conspiracy with intent to manufacture/deliver methamphetamine, felony failure to appear, assault on persons in certain occupations – use/display weapon, and theft 2nd degree – motor vehicle not over $10,000 in value.

Rave was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand to 240 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

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

The case was investigated by Woodbury County Sheriff’s Department, Sioux City, Iowa Police Department, Sgt. Buff Iowa, Police Department, Sgt. Bluff Fire & Rescue, Dakota County, Nebraska Sheriff’s Department, Iowa Department of Transportation, the United States Department of Justice’s Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), and the Department of Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA).  This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Forde Fairchild.  

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

The case file number is 25-4032.

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The United States District Court for the Northern District of Iowa entered a judgment Tuesday forfeiting to the United States roughly $375,000 in proceeds from a scam that targeted an Iowa business.  

In a business email compromise scam, criminals impersonate a company’s executives or vendors to trick the company’s employees into transferring money or clicking a malicious link. Often, the criminals will use an altered email header or deceptively similar email address to make the company’s employee believe the email is from a trusted source. According to the FBI, these scams cost businesses more than $55 billion from 2013 to 2023.  

In this case, the scammer impersonated the Iowa company’s vendors and instructed the employee to direct a payment to a scammer-controlled bank account. The Iowa company, thinking it was paying real invoices as instructed, sent payments in mid-2022 totaling more than $800,000 to the scammer’s account. From there, the scammer transferred the funds to other bank accounts to make it difficult to track the stolen money. Among other seizures, the United States seized $372,583.77 of the fraud proceeds from a Wells Fargo bank account belonging to Manuel and Ibrahim Hazim. The scammer deposited the fraud proceeds into the Hazims’ account with a series of checks indicating in the memo line that they were for a “Mack Truck,” “procurement,” and “payment.” The Iowa company reported the fraud to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center. 

The Hazims claimed that they did not know about the scam and were therefore the rightful owners of the money. They claimed the money was from a currency exchange in which an unknown source would deposit dollars directly into the Hazims’ Wells Fargo account and they would then wire Nigerian currency to a Nigerian broker. Investigation showed that the Hazims did not own or sell a Mack Truck or engage in any other legitimate business transaction with the individual who deposited the funds.  

The District Court found that the money was involved in a crime and was therefore subject to being forfeited. It also found that the Hazims had not sworn to the truth of their claims as required by the law and thus could not show that they were innocent owners. It ordered that the money be paid to the United States. 

“Criminals continue to target Americans with email compromise scams,” said U.S. Attorney Leif Olson. “Protect yourself by examining the addresses of incoming emails for differences from previous emails. Follow up in person or by phone to make sure requests are legitimate, especially when someone asks you to change where to send payment. If you or your company are targeted by one of these scams, report it to your bank, to law enforcement, and to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center. We will use every available tool to track down scammers and recover the money they stole”  

The Internet Crime Complaint Center is run by the FBI and serves as the country’s hub for reporting cybercrime. Visit www.ic3.gov for updated information regarding business email compromise scams as well as other cyber fraud schemes.  

The case was handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Brandon J. Gray and Brian J. Keogh and investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  

If you have information about money in or laundered through the United States that was involved in fraud, contact law enforcement or visit tips.fbi.gov. 

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is 23-CV-102.  

A man who sexually exploited children and distributed, received, and possessed child pornography, was sentenced today to 30 years in federal prison.  Steven William Acklin, age 29, formerly from Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison term after a March 23, 2026, guilty plea to sexual exploitation of children and receipt of child pornography.  

Information at the sentencing hearing showed that in the fall of 2023, while he was living in Waterloo, Acklin contacted an undercover police officer who was posing as a mother of a 12-year-old child.  Acklin asked to see naked photos of the child.  Between January 2024 and September 2024, Acklin contacted multiple children online, requesting that they make and send him depictions of themselves engaging in sexually explicit conduct.  Acklin successfully obtained child pornography from some of the children.  Acklin also distributed child pornography on multiple occasions, and he received and possessed child pornography, including depictions of infants and of sadistic and masochistic conduct.   

Acklin was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Acklin was sentenced to 360 months’ imprisonment and was ordered to make $15,000 in restitution.  He must also serve a ten-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.”

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

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Devra T. Hake and investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.  The case file number is 25-CR-2057.  

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A woman who distributed methamphetamine was sentenced today to more than 16 years in federal prison.

Larissa Marie Ruffin, age 48, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after a March 12, 2026, guilty plea to one count of distribution of a controlled substance.

Information from the sentencing hearing showed that Ruffin distributed methamphetamine to an individual working with law enforcement officers or an undercover officer on multiple occasions between April and July 2023.  On September 30, 2023, officers stopped a car that Ruffin had been driving.  Officers located a little less than 20 pounds of methamphetamine, approximately half a pound of cocaine, and over a pound of marijuana in the car.  

Ruffin was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Ruffin was sentenced to 200 months’ imprisonment.  She must also serve a five-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

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

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

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

This HSTF case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Adam J. Vander Stoep and was investigated by HSTF Kansas City, with the assistance of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Task Force consisting of the DEA, the Linn County Sheriff's Office, the Cedar Rapids Police Department, the Marion Police Department, and the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement. 

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

The case file number is 26-CR-18.

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Willie York, 47, from Mason City, Iowa, was sentenced on September 18, 2026, in federal court in Sioux City.  York pled guilty on May 11, 2026, to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.  York was previously convicted in Cerro Gordo County of the following crimes which prohibit a person from possessing a firearm or ammunition: Terrorism – Intent to Injure or Provoke Fear or Anger, and Robbery-2nd, both in 2000; and Delivery of Methamphetamine in 2015. 

Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings showed that from August 2024 through October 2024, York and others conspired to distribute more than two pounds of mixed methamphetamine which contained 50 grams or more of pure methamphetamine.  On October 1, 2024, York was a passenger in a vehicle with two others, traffic stopped south of Sioux City, Iowa.  Law enforcement found over one pound of pure methamphetamine broken down in various packages, along with two firearms in the vehicle including a fully loaded Beretta 9mm pistol with York.  York admitted that he and another transported the methamphetamine from Des Moines, Iowa to Pierre, South Dakota for distribution during two round trips over the course of several days, and that he possessed the firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.  

United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand sentenced York to 322 months’ imprisonment and ordered he serve a 10-year term of supervised release following imprisonment.  York remains in custody of the United States Marshal until he can be transported to a federal prison.  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 Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office and the Tri-State Drug Task Force based in Sioux City, Iowa, that consists of law enforcement personnel from the Drug Enforcement Administration; Sioux City, Iowa, Police Department; Homeland Security Investigations; Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office; South Sioux City, Nebraska, Police Department; Nebraska State Patrol; Iowa National Guard; Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; United States Marshals Service; South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation.  

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

The case file number is 24-4080.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

A man who previously appeared on hit sit-coms such as MTV’s Wild ‘N Out, 30 Rock, That’s So Raven, and Tyler Perry’s House of Payne, as well as playing “Ronnie Shields” in the movie Role Models, was sentenced today to more than 2 years in federal prison.

Bobbe Thompson, age 30, from Kansas City, Missouri, received the prison term after an April 28, 2026, guilty plea to possession of a firearm by a felon. 

Evidence in the case revealed that on September 22, 2025, law enforcement observed a vehicle, being driven by Thompson, driving 104 mph, in a 70-mph zone in Cerro Gordo County.  Law enforcement conducted a traffic stop and as the officer was exiting his vehicle, he observed Thompson and the passenger switching seats.  The odor of marijuana was also emitting from the vehicle.  During a search of the vehicle, officers located a backpack belonging to Thompson that contained multiple bags of dispensary-bought marijuana, and a .40 caliber handgun that was fully loaded with a 15-round magazine, and a round in the chamber.  The firearm had been reported stolen from a vehicle in Kansas City, Missouri.  

Thompson’s criminal history includes acts of violence, including a 2020 conviction for battery with serious bodily injury and a 2020 conviction assault with force (possibly resulting in great bodily injury).  His criminal history also includes a 2022 conviction for prohibited possession of a firearm.

Thompson was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand to 30 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

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

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

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

The case file number is 26-3001.

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A man who sexually exploited a child pled guilty today in federal court in Cedar Rapids.  Brandon Scott Baker, age 39, formerly from Grundy Center, Iowa, was convicted of sexual exploitation of a child, transportation of a minor with intent to engage in sexual activity, and possession of child pornography. 

At the plea hearing, Baker admitted that between 2011 and 2016, he used a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing visual depictions of the conduct.  He also admitted that in December 2017, he transported a minor across a state line with the intent to engage in sexual exploitation of a child.  Baker admitted that between 2011 and 2016, he possessed depictions of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct, including of a prepubescent minor or a minor who had not attained 12 years of age.    

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice.  Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.

Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Baker remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing.  Baker faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, a $750,000 fine, $82,200 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 Homeland Security Investigations, the Telluride, Colorado, Police Department, and the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office.  

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

The case file number is 26-CR-12.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

Two Cuban nationals have been indicted in Cedar Rapids as part of a nationwide enforcement action targeting fraud in the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The enforcement effort is led by the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division, the SBA, and the SBA Office of Inspector General. 

From June 12 to August 31, federal prosecutors across the country facilitated fraud enforcement actions involving more than 160 defendants, roughly half of whom were newly charged, and approximately $245 million in actual and attempted theft. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa was a key player in this effort.

“People who defraud government programs are thieves just as much as if they’d stolen cash from an armored truck,” said United States Attorney Leif Olson. “We’re committed to identifying, prosecuting, and convicting these criminals. And our civil lawyers are committed to using civil suits and forfeitures of property to recover every dollar possible from these crooks.”

Statements of Department of Justice Officials

“Pandemic loan relief was meant to keep American small businesses alive during government lockdowns—not line the pockets of fraudsters,” said Attorney General Todd Blanche. “The defendants charged during our summer surge allegedly fabricated businesses, submitted false payroll and revenue claims, stole identities, and concealed foreign ties on their applications—but they will now be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

“This summer surge shows what is possible when dedicated public servants across the country work together with a single purpose,” said Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. “Our mission is clear: protect taxpayer funds, safeguard the integrity of federal relief programs, and deliver justice to those who exploited them. We will remain steadfast every day—standing shoulder-to-shoulder with our partners—to identify fraud, pursue those responsible, and restore confidence in the programs meant to help American small businesses thrive.” 

Statements of Small Business Administration Officials

“Today’s announcement represents the largest-ever action against perpetrators of SBA fraud, with 870,000 suspended borrowers tied to $39 billion in suspected fraudulent PPP and COVID EIDL activity. In partnership with Vice President Vance and the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, we’re putting fraudsters on notice: the federal government will no longer turn a blind eye to those who stole from taxpayers and exploited programs designed to sustain small businesses during the pandemic,” said SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler. “With demand letters going out to suspected fraudsters, we’re also sending a clear message that they must repay their debts or face Treasury collections and possible federal law enforcement. Under this Administration, the free ride is over. We are restoring accountability, recovering taxpayer dollars, and protecting SBA programs for the legitimate small businesses they were created to serve.” 

“Operation No Doze brings a focused and coordinated approach to pursuing fraud in SBA’s pandemic relief programs,” said SBA Inspector General William Kirk. “By concentrating our investigative resources and working closely with SBA and our law enforcement partners, we are strengthening our ability to identify fraud, recover taxpayer funds, and hold accountable those who exploited programs created to help small businesses in a time of extraordinary need. This initiative makes clear that the passage of time does not diminish our commitment to accountability.”

Cedar Rapids Indictment

The indictment charges two defendants, Adrian Rafael Pupo Perez and Helen Yaima Leyva Santiesteban, both Cuban nationals, with 47 counts of wire fraud, money laundering, and conspiracy. It alleges that, beginning in July 2020, the defendants and more than one hundred other Cuban immigrants attempted to obtain fraudulent PPP loans and other COVID-era benefits. Each falsely claimed to be self-employed and to have earned approximately $100,000 in gross income in 2019. In truth, each participant actually worked elsewhere, most of them at the same northern Iowa meatpacking plant. In total, the defendants submitted roughly 470 fraudulent PPP loan applications in the names of more than 100 individuals across the United States. Their fraudulent applications sought $4.5 million in loan funds, and they actually obtained about $2.4 million. Pupo Perez and Leyva Santiesteban are currently fugitives from justice, believed to have returned to Cuba.

The case is being investigated by the SBA Office of Inspector General and the FDIC Office of Inspector General and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Tim Vavricek, Matt Cole, and Dan Chatham. As with any criminal case, an indictment is merely an accusation, and defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.

Court file information is available at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/​cgi-bin/​‌login.pl. The case number is 24-CR-3013. Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

A man who escaped custody and failed to register as a sex offender pled guilty on September 10, 2026, in federal court in Sioux City.

Duane Levering, age 41, from Sioux City, Iowa, was convicted of one count of escape from custody and one count of failure to register as a sex offender.  In 2005 Levering was previously convicted of aggravated sexual abuse of a minor in the United States District Court for Nebraska.  Based on this conviction, Levering is required to register as required under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.

At the plea hearing, evidence showed that on December 23, 2025, Levering began confinement following his conviction for failure to register as a sex offender.  On April 23, 2026, the U.S. Marshals Service received a Notice of Escaped Federal Prisoner for Levering from the Bureau of Prisons stating Levering failed to return to Dismas Charities Residential Reentry Center from his reported employment site.  Levering admitted he willingly left the center and failed to register his new residence with the sex offender registry while he was on the run.     

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

The case was investigated by the 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 26-4019.  

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Scott Devries, 57, from Hardy, Iowa, was sentenced in federal court in Sioux City on September 11, 2026, to 90 months’ imprisonment.  Devries pled guilty April 20, 2026, to one count of possession of child pornography.

Evidence at the hearings showed that between January 2021 and August 2022, Devries possessed and received visual depictions of child pornography, which included prepubescent minors or a minor under the age of 12.  While executing a search warrant, law enforcement discovered 20 electronic devices that contained child sexual abuse material.  Forensic analysis of the devices found over 1.6 million images of child pornography, some of which involved material that portrayed sadistic or masochistic conduct including the violent sexual torture of children as well as the sexual abuse of infants and toddlers. 

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.

United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand sentenced Devries to 90 months’ imprisonment and 5 years’ of supervised release following his imprisonment.  There is no parole in the federal system.  Devries must also pay restitution in the amount of $39,500 to the victims in the case.  Devries remains in custody of the United States Marshal until he can be transported to a federal prison.    

The case was investigated by Hancock County Sheriff’s Office, Charles City Police Department, and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kraig R. Hamit.

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

The case file number is 25-3060.  

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A man who possessed firearms illegally was sentenced September 9, 2026, to more than 4 years in federal prison.

Joshua Layne Kelly, age 25, from Fort Dodge, Iowa, received the prison term after an April 28, 2026, guilty plea to one count of possession of firearms by a prohibited person. 

At the guilty plea, Kelly admitted that on November 6, 2025, in Webster County, he possessed an FIE, Little Ranger .22 caliber revolver and a High Standard, Double Nine .22 caliber revolver, knowing he was then a felon.  In early November 2025, he offered to sell an individual cooperating with law enforcement two revolvers.  On November 6, 2025, in Fort Dodge, he sold the cooperating individual an FIE, Little Ranger .22 caliber revolver, a High Standard, Double Nine .22 caliber revolver, and approximately 3.5 grams of synthetic cannabinoids (K2/Spice).    

Prior to his possession of the firearms, he had been convicted of numerous crimes including multiple incidents of Burglary and Theft.  At the time of his possession of the firearms, he was also an unlawful user of marijuana.  

Kelly was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Kelly was sentenced to 57 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

Kelly 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 Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement (DNE), the Fort Dodge Police Department, and the Webster County Sheriff’s Office.  

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

The case file number is 25-CR-03064.

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An illegal alien who returned to the United States after being deported was sentenced yesterday to three months in federal prison.

Mario Noel Rodriguez Castillo, age 51, a citizen of Mexico illegally present in the United States and residing in Iowa City, Iowa, received the prison term after a June 30, 2026, guilty plea to one count of illegal reentry into the United States after having been deported. 

At the guilty plea, Rodriguez Castillo admitted he had previously been deported from the United States and illegally reentered the United States without the permission of the United States government.  Rodriguez Castillo was previously deported in 1996, 2002, and 2005.  On May 21, 2026, immigration officials learned Rodriguez Castillo had illegally returned to the United States and found him at the Johnson County Jail following his arrest on state charges.  

Rodriguez Castillo was previously convicted of drug trafficking charges in Utah in 1996 and 1997.  In 1998 he was convicted of reentry of a deported alien in federal court in Utah.  In 2003, he was convicted of deported alien found in the United States in federal court in California.  

Rodriguez Castillo was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Rodriguez Castillo was sentenced to 94 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.

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

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

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney 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 26-cr-44.

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A man who received and possessed child pornography was sentenced today to more than 27 years in federal prison.  

Matthew Jason Manos, age 42, from Coggon, Iowa, received the prison term after a March 11, 2026, jury verdict finding him guilty of receipt of child pornography and possession of child pornography, including a depiction of a prepubescent minor or a minor who had not attained 12 years of age.

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

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

Manos was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Manos was sentenced to 327 months’ imprisonment and was ordered to make $3,000 in restitution to a victim in the case.  He must also serve a five-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

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

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

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

The case file number is 25-CR-14.

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Robert J. Fundermann, age 50, from Anthon, Iowa, was sentenced in federal court in Sioux City, Iowa, on September 10, 2026, to eighteen and a half years’ imprisonment.  Fundermann previously pled guilty to one count of distribution of child pornography on February 5, 2026.

Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings showed that from April 2023 through April 2025, Fundermann distributed and attempted to distribute visual depictions of child pornography.  Further evidence showed that Fundermann was grooming a 17-year-old to obtain images and videos of the minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct.  A review of Fundermann’s phone showed he possessed 54 images and 98 videos of child pornography, involving material that portrayed sadistic or masochistic conduct as well as prepubescent children and toddlers.  The investigation also revealed that Fundermann was previously convicted for soliciting nude images from a minor in 2019.  

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.  

United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand sentenced Fundermann to 222 months’ imprisonment and a 5-year term of supervised release.  Fundermann remains in custody of the United States Marshal until he can be transported to a federal prison.  Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is 25-4039.  

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

William Collins, 44, from Stacyville, Iowa, pled guilty August 31, 2026, in federal court in Cedar Rapids to receipt of child pornography.  In 2008, Collins was convicted of possession of child pornography, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Iowa and had previously served time in federal prison.

At the plea hearing, Collins admitted that between January 2015, and September 2025, he received and attempted to receive visual depictions of child pornography.  Evidence also showed that Collins possessed and attempted to possess visual depictions of child pornography, including a depiction involving a prepubescent minor or a minor who had not attained 12 years of age.  During a search warrant of Collins’ phone, law enforcement found 17 videos and 75 images of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) plus hundreds of images of child erotica.  The images and videos involved material that portrayed sadistic or masochistic conduct, as well as prepubescent children and toddlers.     

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.

Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Collins remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing.  Collins faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of 40 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and at least five years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

The case was investigated by Mason City Police Department and the Iowa Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force 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 25-2062.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

Raul Torres-Olivarez, 47, from Mexico, who was illegally residing in the United States pled guilty on August 19, 2026, in federal court in Sioux City.

Evidence at the plea hearing, showed that on February 4, 2026, law enforcement had information that Torres-Olivarez was unlawfully in the United States and was residing in Sioux City, Iowa.  Immigration officials observed an individual matching the description of Torres-Olivarez leaving a residence and entering a vehicle.  Officers attempted to traffic stop the vehicle driven by Torres-Olivarez, but he failed to immediately stop.  The officers were operating in unmarked vehicles, and Torres-Olivarez’s vehicle struck one of the unmarked law enforcement vehicles.  After Torres-Olivarez’s vehicle stopped, he attempted to flee on foot but was apprehended.  

Torres-Olivarez was previously removed from the United States to Mexico on or about December 1, 2023.  

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

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick T. Greenwood and was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Homeland Security Investigations.  

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

The case file number is 26-4006.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

A man who was previously convicted for a bank robbery was sentenced today to more than five years in federal prison.

Tony Spies, age 56, from Wyoming, Iowa, received the prison term after an April 29, 2026, guilty plea to two counts of distribution of a controlled substance.

Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearing showed that in November 2025, Spies sold methamphetamine to an individual cooperating with law enforcement on two separate occasions.  On November 24, 2025, law enforcement officers stopped Spies car.  Officers found methamphetamine and marijuana in the car.  

Spies was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Spies was sentenced to 66 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a four-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

Spies 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 Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigations Laboratory, the Iowa State Patrol, and the Muscatine County Drug Task Force, consisting of the Muscatine Police Department, Muscatine Conty Sheriff’s Office, and Cedar County Sheriff’s Office.  

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

The case file number is 26-CR-00024.

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A man who distributed heroin and fentanyl and who possessed ammunition as a felon was sentenced September 1, 2026, to twelve years in federal prison.

Vincent Steven Calvin, age 66, from Chicago, Illinois, received the prison term after a March 11, 2026, guilty plea to one count of distribution of a controlled substance and one count of possession of ammunition by a felon.

Information disclosed at the sentencing hearing showed that Calvin was involved in the distribution of heroin and fentanyl in Cedar Rapids.  On the evening of September 27 or the morning of September 28, 2020, a man ingested fentanyl that he had obtained from Calvin.  He died from a fentanyl‑related overdose.  On November 22, 2022, and January 3, 2023, law enforcement investigators purchased bought from Calvin.  On January 10, 2023, officers searched Calvin’s apartment in Cedar Rapids and located multiple rounds of ammunition.  Calvin was prohibited from possessing ammunition based on multiple prior felony convictions.

Calvin was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Calvin was sentenced to 144 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 Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

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

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Adam J. Vander Stoep and was investigated by the Cedar Rapids Police Department and theDrug 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 25-CR-39.

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A convicted felon from Dubuque who possessed a gun was sentenced today to seven years in federal prison.

Davon Michael Cornwell, age 22, from Dubuque, Iowa, received the prison term after an April 21, 2026, guilty plea to possession of a firearm by a felon.

Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings showed that Cornwell was the passenger in a car that Dubuque police officers stopped in February 2025.  Officers searched the car after smelling the odor of marijuana.  Cornwell was hanging on to a bookbag at the time, which officers also searched.  Oficers found approximately 87 grams of marijuana, a digital scale, fake $100 bills, and a loaded Smith & Wesson .40 caliber pistol in the bag.  The gun had a loaded 14-round magazine attached.  Fingerprints from the gun matched Cornwell’s.  At the time, Cornwall had multiple arrest warrants pending.  He has a significant criminal history which includes convictions for burglary, willful injury causing bodily injury, interference with official acts while armed with a firearm, and assault with intent to commit sexual abuse. 

Cornwell was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge Leonard Strand.  Cornwell was sentenced to 84 months’ imprisonment.  He was ordered to pay a $100 special assessment fee.  He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

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

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

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

The case file number is 25-CR-1023.

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Edward Hankerson, age 40, from Chicago, Illinois, was sentenced today to five years in federal prison, after an April 17, 2026, guilty plea to Possession of a Firearm by a Felon and Domestic Violence Misdemeanant.

Evidence in the case revealed Hankerson’s criminal possession of a firearm was discovered on September 24, 2025, when law enforcement responded to a report of two individuals fighting outside of a mini mart.  When law enforcement arrived, the parties had left the area.  During the investigation, officers obtained surveillance footage of the incident which showed that Hankerson pulled a gun from his waistband and pointed it at the other individual. However, the magazine had fallen out of the gun when Hankerson drew it from his waistband, so when he attempted to fire the gun, it did not discharge.  Hankerson then pistol-whipped the victim before leaving the scene on foot.  A short time later, law enforcement observed Hankerson leaving his residence where he was taken into custody.  Hankerson admitted to the altercation and pulling the firearm on the individual.  

Hankerson’s criminal history includes convictions for possession of a controlled substance, operating while intoxicated as well as two convictions for domestic battery causing bodily harm. 

Hankerson was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand to 60 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

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

The case was investigated by the Sioux City, Iowa Police Department and the United States Department of Justice’s Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF).  This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Forde Fairchild.

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

The case file number is 25-4070.

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A felon who was previously convicted of drug distribution charges was sentenced August 26, 2028, to 92 months in federal prison for possessing a gun.

Donta Racine Euells, age 45, from Freeport, Illinois, received the prison term after a January 12, 2026, guilty plea to possession of a firearm as a felon.

On August 9, 2025, Dubuque police responded to a 911 call.  Victims reported that Euells, Davion Trawick (who has previously been sentenced), and another man forced their way into the home.  At the time, Trawick possessed a large capacity firearm and Euells possessed what later was determined to be a BB-gun.  However, law enforcement officers found a gun in Euell’s car that he had driven to the residence.  Euells was prohibited from possessing firearms because of numerous prior felony convictions.

Euells was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Euells was sentenced to 92 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.

Euells 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 investigated by the Dubuque Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.  

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

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

The case file number is 25-CR-1042-2.

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DES MOINES, Iowa – On Thursday, August 20, 2026, United States Attorney David C. Waterman was honored to host Attorney General Todd Blanche at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

During his visit, Attorney General Blanche met with U.S. Attorney Waterman and his leadership team, and Northern District of Iowa U.S. Attorney Leif Olson. Attorney General Blanche also spoke with prosecutors and personnel from the office. In his remarks, Attorney General Blanche expressed his appreciation for the office’s work and their commitment to protecting communities across the district.

Attorney General Blanche also met with law enforcement representatives to highlight the important role of partnerships in enforcing the rule of law and enhancing public safety.

“It was an honor to welcome Attorney General Todd Blanche to our office,” said U.S. Attorney Waterman. “We were proud to highlight recent successes, including nationally recognized drug-overdose and human-trafficking prosecutions, as well as major trial victories in fraud, drug, firearms, and human-trafficking cases. We remain committed to confronting the most serious threats, taking difficult cases to trial, and delivering justice for the people of Iowa.”

Attorney General Todd Blanche meets with U.S. Attorneys David C. Waterman for the Southern District of Iowa (right) and Leif Olsen for the Northern District of Iowa (left) on August 20, 2026.

U.S. Attorney David C. Waterman introduces Attorney General Todd Blanche at a meeting on August 20, 2026.

Attorney General Todd Blanche meets with U.S. Attorney David C. Waterman (left) on August 20, 2026.

A man who turned firearms into fully automatic machineguns in his home was sentenced on August 20, 2026, to more than one year in federal prison.

Nicholas Laurence Wilson, age 35, from Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison term after a January 30, 2026, guilty plea to one count of possession of machineguns.

Information from sentencing showed that Wilson machined three semiautomatic firearms into fully automatic machineguns.  The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (“ATF”) began investigating Wilson’s firearm purchases after several guns that he purchased were recovered in connection with criminal investigations.  ATF agents searched Wilson’s house on July 16, 2025.  They located the three machineguns and a machinegun conversion device, a drop-in auto sear, in Wilson’s house.  Wilson lied to law enforcement agents by indicating that he did not have any National Firearms Act firearms, which would include machineguns, in his house.  

Wilson was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Wilson was sentenced to twelve months and one day of imprisonment and fined $5,000.  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 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.

Wilson was released on the bond previously set and is to surrender to the United States Marshal on September 21, 2026.

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

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

The case file number is 26-CR-2001.

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A man who conspired to distribute methamphetamine was sentenced August 20, 2026, to more than 7 years in federal prison.

 Jeffrey Allen Smith, age 41, from Fort Dodge, Iowa, received the prison term after a March 18, 2026, guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.

In a plea agreement, Smith admitted that between January 2025 to April 1, 2025, in the Northern District of Iowa and elsewhere, he and others reached an agreement or came to an understanding to distribute methamphetamine.  

During the course of the conspiracy, Smith participated in the distribution of over 50 grams of actual (pure) methamphetamine.

In 2025, Smith sold methamphetamine and firearms in the Webster County, Iowa, area to an individual or individuals cooperating with law enforcement on three separate occasions. On April 1, 2025, a search warrant was executed at Smith’s residence and on a vehicle associated with Smith.  Inside the residence, law enforcement located indicia of drug use and distribution and three firearms that belonged to Smith.  Inside the vehicle, which was being driven by Smith at the time, law enforcement located an AM-15 pistol with a loaded magazine.

Smith has previously been convicted of Theft in the Second Degree, in the Iowa District Court for Webster County, on January 14, 2019. 

Smith was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Smith was sentenced to 94 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.

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 T. Greenwood and investigated by the Webster County Sheriff’s Office.  

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.  The case file number is 25-CR-03051.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

A man who illegally possessed a firearm as a felon was sentenced on August 24, 2026, to more than two years in federal prison.

Jameel Ahmod Lanier, age 25, from Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison term after an April 6, 2026, guilty plea to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Evidence during the case showed Waterloo Police officers stopped a car Lanier was driving.  During the traffic stop, officers found a .45 caliber pistol as well as marijuana a short distance from the car.  Further analysis of the gun indicated Lanier contributed to a DNA sample located on the gun.  Lanier was prohibited from possessing firearms because he had previously been convicted of attempted burglary second degree in the Iowa District Court for Black Hawk County.  

Lanier was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Lanier was sentenced to 30 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

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

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

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

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

The case file number is 26-CR-2008.

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A man who repeatedly stole pallets of valuable brass ingot to sell for scrap was sentenced on August 21, 2026, to two years in federal prison.

Dennis Lee Maas, age 54, from Dubuque, Iowa, received the prison term after a March 20, 2026, guilty plea to one count of interstate transportation of stolen goods.

Information from a plea agreement and sentencing showed that Maas worked as a janitor at a manufacturing company in Dubuque.  His job did not include handling pallets of brass ingot that the manufacturing company used for its business.  From November 2024 through September 2025, Maas repeatedly stole pallets of brass ingot from his employer.  He sold the brass to a metals business in East Dubuque, Illinois, for scrap value.  The total value of the brass that he stole was more than $64,000.  The metals business was able to return one pallet of brass to the manufacturing company after Maas’s thefts were discovered.       

Maas was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Maas was sentenced to twenty-four months’ imprisonment.  He was ordered to make $43,845.16 in restitution to the employer and an insurance company.  He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

Maas 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 Dubuque Police Department.  

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

The case file number is 26-CR-1048.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

A man who possessed 773 fentanyl pills he planned to distribute was sentenced today to five years in federal prison.

Shewarence Dehassiu Gibbs, age 46, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after a January 30, 2026, guilty plea to possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.

Information at sentencing and a prior hearing showed that in April 2024, in Cedar Rapids, officers found Gibbs, who had an active arrest warrant.  Gibbs fled on foot and discarded a backpack before officers apprehended him.  In the backpack and in Gibbs’s pockets were 773 fentanyl pills and $590 in cash.  Gibbs has prior drug-related convictions and convictions for armed robbery, assault causing bodily injury, and domestic abuse assault causing bodily injury/mental illness. 

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

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

Gibbs 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 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Cedar Rapids Police Department, the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, and the Iowa Division of Intelligence and Fusion Center.  

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

The case file number is 25-CR-12.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

Tina Smith, age 46, from Mason City, was sentenced August 18, 2026, to more than 11 years in federal prison, after an April 17, 2026, guilty plea to Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance.

Evidence in the case revealed between March 6, 2024, through at least September 6, 2024, Smith, and others, were involved in an ongoing conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine around the Mason City area.  Law enforcement utilized a confidential source to purchase methamphetamine from Smith on 7 different occasions.  

Smith was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand to 136 months’ imprisonment.  She must also serve a 5-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

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

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

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

The case file number is 25-3065.

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Bruce Sogard, age 68, from Jewell, was sentenced July 1, 2026, to more than 8 years in federal prison, after a February 12, 2026, guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance. 

Cheryl Zeien Sogard, age 63, from Mason City, was sentenced August 18, 2026, to more than 4 years in federal prison, after an April 20, 2026, guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.

Evidence in the case revealed that between January 2025, and continuing to at least September 20, 2025, Sogard and Zeien were involved in an ongoing methamphetamine distribution conspiracy based in Mason City, Iowa, where the pair were obtaining multiple pounds of methamphetamine from Colorado.  Law enforcement also utilized a confidential source to purchase methamphetamine on multiple occasions from Zeien and Sogard.  During the execution of a search warrant on the couple’s home, law enforcement located multiple scales, packaging materials, a drug ledger, marijuana, THC gummies, and several firearms.

Sogard and Zeien were sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Sogard was sentenced to 107 months’ imprisonment and fined $1,000.  He must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  Zeien was sentenced to 59 months’ imprisonment.   She must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

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

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

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

The case file number is 25-3061.

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

Mario Israel Ortiz-Gonzalez, age 22, a citizen of Mexico illegally present in the United States and residing in Dubuque, Iowa, received the prison term after a June 1, 2026, guilty plea to one count of illegal reentry into the United States after having been deported. 

At the guilty plea, Ortiz-Gonzalez admitted he had previously been deported from the United States and illegally reentered the United States without the permission of the United States government.  Ortiz-Gonzalez was previously deported in November 2025.  On March 15, 2026, immigration officials learned Ortiz-Gonzalez had illegally returned to the United States and found him at the Dubuque County Jail following his arrest on state charges.  Ortiz-Gonzalez has two previous convictions for operating while intoxicated and one conviction for interference with official acts.  

Ortiz-Gonzalez was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  He was sentenced to 124 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.

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

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

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

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

The case file number is 26-CR-1002.

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Angel Castillo-Martinez, age 26, from Sioux City, was sentenced August 19, 2026, to more than 12 years in federal prison, after a March 18, 2026, guilty plea to possession of a firearm by a felon.

Evidence in the case revealed, on June 5, 2025, Castillo-Martinez obtained a ride from Winnebago, Nebraska to Sioux City, Iowa with the intent to “hurt a lot of people.”  He was armed with a loaded handgun and a loaded rifle.  Sioux City police officers saw Castillo-Martinez getting in and out of the vehicle abruptly and noticed that the vehicle was being driven by a person with a suspended license. A traffic stop ensued. 

Castillo-Martinez fled on foot from the traffic stop, running through a residential neighborhood, but was quickly apprehended by Sioux City police officers.  Castillo-Martinez provided officers with a false name and date of birth.  Officers retraced the path of flight and found Castillo-Martinez had attempted to hide a baggie containing more the 50 grams of methamphetamine.  Officers conducted a search of the vehicle and located a backpack on the passenger floorboard containing a loaded pistol as well as a second backpack containing a loaded AR-style rifle, with an obliterated serial number, in the truck bed.  Following his arrest, Castillo-Martinez admitted that he was on his way to “hurt a lot of people” to seek revenge for an attack that happened to a friend two days prior.  He later learned that the people he had targeted were innocent. 

Castillo-Martinez’s criminal history includes theft, possession of controlled substances, carrying a dangerous weapon, assault on a peace officer, and interference with official acts. 

Castillo-Martinez was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand to 151 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

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

The case was investigated by the Sioux City, Iowa Police Department and the United States Department of Justice’s Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF).  This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Forde Fairchild

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

The case file number is 25-4035.

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A felon who possessed a gun in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was sentenced today to more than two years in federal prison.

Cody Michael Adkins, age 25, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after an April 1, 2026, guilty plea to possession of a firearm by a felon.

Information at sentencing showed that in March 2025 in Cedar Rapids, officers stopped a car that Adkins was driving.  Adkins had a suspended driver’s license.  Officers smelled the odor of marijuana and searched the car.  They found a loaded gun under the front passenger seat.  Adkins’s thumbprint was on the magazine that was inserted into the gun, and his DNA was on the slide of the gun.  When law enforcement officers first attempted to arrest Adkins, he fled.  Officers found and arrested him approximately one month later.

Adkins was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Adkins was sentenced to 30 months’ imprisonment and must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.  Adkins is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

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

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Devra T. Hake and investigated by the Cedar Rapids Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.  The case file number is 26-CR-1.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

A man who illegally possessed cocaine was sentenced today to 18 months in federal prison.

Marcus Allen Thomas, age 37, from Asbury, Iowa, received the prison term after a February 18, 2026, guilty plea to one count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.

In a plea agreement, Thomas admitted he possessed cocaine that he intended to distribute.  On April 12, 2025, investigators searched Thomas’s home in Asbury.  Investigators found approximately 6.14 pounds of marijuana and approximately 101.56 grams of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine in the basement bathroom.  

Thomas was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Thomas was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment and fined $5,500.  He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

Thomas 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 investigated by the Dubuque Drug Task Force, Dubuque County Sheriff’s Office, Dubuque Police Department, Asbury Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.  

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

The case file number is 25-CR-01046.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

A man who escaped from custody was sentenced today to more than a year in federal prison.  Nicholas Robert Campbell-Scott, age 29, from Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison term after a March 4, 2026, guilty plea to escape from custody.

Information at sentencing showed that, in January 2026, Campbell-Scott cut his ankle monitor and fled from the Gerald R. Hinzman Center, a residential re‑entry center in Cedar Rapids.  Law enforcement officers arrested Campbell‑Scott six days later in Coralville, Iowa.  At the time of his escape, Campbell-Scott was serving a federal prison sentence for possession of a firearm by a felon.  He has past convictions for escape and absence from custody.  

Campbell-Scott was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Campbell-Scott was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment and must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

Campbell-Scott 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 United States Marshals Service and the Iowa Department of Corrections.  

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.  The case file number is 26-CR-2.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

A man who tried to enter a city council meeting armed with a gun was convicted by a jury on August 11, 2026, after a one-day trial in federal court in Cedar Rapids.

Austin Andrew Goodman, age 42, from Dubuque, Iowa, was convicted of possessing a firearm while prohibited after he had been committed to a mental institution.  

The evidence at trial showed Goodman entered a building in Dubuque, Iowa, on March 3, 3025, while wearing a suit, an American flag on his shoulders, tape over his mouth, and a loaded firearm on his hip.  Goodman had his two dogs on leashes when he entered the building and attempted to enter the city council chambers where a meeting was occurring.  Goodman was live streaming his entry into the building on Facebook. 

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

Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Goodman remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing.  Goodman faces a possible maximum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and 3 years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Emily K. Nydle and was investigated by the Dubuque Police Department, the Dubuque Sheriff’s Department, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and 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 25-cr-1039.

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A man who possessed a firearm as a felon was sentenced today to more than a year in federal prison.  Tony Ray Pledge, age 58, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after a February 12, 2026, guilty plea to possession of a firearm by a felon.

Information at sentencing showed that, in August 2025, law enforcement stopped a car that Pledge was driving in Cedar Rapids.  Officers searched the car and found a loaded firearm, drug paraphernalia, and marijuana.  Pledge has a prior federal felony conviction for possessing a firearm as a felon.  He has other drug-related convictions, as well as a conviction for assault.  

Pledge was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Pledge was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment and must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

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

Pledge 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 Cedar Rapids Police Department, the Marion Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.  The case file number is 25-CR-80.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

A man who pled guilty to illegal reentry and failure to register as a sex offender was sentenced August 6, 2026, to more than a year in federal prison.

Sergio Niz-Mendez, age 27, from Guatemala and living in Sheldon, Iowa, received the prison term after a March 23, 2026, guilty plea to one count of illegal re-entry and one count of failure to register as a sex offender.

At the guilty plea, Niz-Mendez admitted he was a citizen of Guatemala, that he had previously been removed from the United States in 2018 after serving prison time for a felony conviction in 2016, and that he had not sought permission to legally be in the United States.  He further admitted that due to his 2016 rape of a child with force conviction in Massachusetts, committed when he was 15 years old, he was required to register as a sex offender, which he failed to do while living in Iowa.  In December 2025, Niz-Mendez was found in O’Brien County, Iowa, after he was arrested for operating while intoxicated and eluding.     

Niz-Mendez was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Niz-Mendez was sentenced to 16 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.  Niz-Mendez is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

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

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Patrick T. Greenwood and Shawn S. Wehde and was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security.  

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

The case file number is 25-CR-4065.  

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Shaninth Michael Ray, age 38, from Chicago, Illinois, was sentenced today to ten years in federal prison.

Evidence in the case revealed between April 2023 and October 2023, Ray continuously threatened to kill an Iowa resident and members of the victim’s family, after a no contact order was issued against Ray.  Ray made his threats via telephone, text message, and video, through numerous platforms.  Ray stated that he would “end” the victim’s life and “bash [the victim’s] face in with a rock.”  He also threatened to kill the victim in other various ways.  In one of Ray’s videos, he explicitly threatened to end the victim’s life and displayed a gun. 

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

Ray was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand to 120 months’ imprisonment, consecutive to any other term of imprisonment.  Judge Strand noted Ray’s atrocious and disgraceful criminal history, as well as the horrific events in which he terrorized the victim and their family in this case.  He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system. Ray is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

This case was investigated by the Mason City, Iowa Police Department 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 24-3015.

Gabriel Jauregui, age 36, from Sioux City, Iowa, pled guilty August 5, 2026, in federal court in Sioux City to one count of sexual exploitation of a minor.  Jauregui was previously convicted of attempt to entice a minor in the Iowa District Court for Woodbury County in 2020.

At the plea hearing, Jauregui admitted that between July 15, 2024, and August 20, 2025, Jauregui sexually exploited a sixteen-year-old child.  A review of the minor victim’s phone revealed messages relating to drugs and sexual acts between Jauregui and the minor.  Officers also located videos and photographs of nudity involving both parties.  Jauregui filmed himself engaging in sex acts with the minor on his phone and then sent the videos to the minor.  A forensic review showed that the material was sent from the phone number Jauregui had registered with the sex offender registry.  Jauregui also forcibly injected the minor with methamphetamine.  The minor discussed their active addiction to methamphetamine while exchanging images and videos with Jauregui.  The videos contained material that depicted sadistic or masochistic conduct, or other depictions of violence.  

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.

Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Jauregui remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing.  Jauregui faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of 50 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and at least five years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

The case was investigated by the Sioux City Police Department and 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 25-4051.  

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A man who conspired to distribute methamphetamine and possessed a firearm and ammunition as a prohibited person during and in furtherance of the conspiracy was sentenced August 4, 2026, to more than 18 years in federal prison.

Ray Spencer Hollers, age 31, from Fort Dodge, Iowa, received the prison term after a March 20, 2026, guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of pure methamphetamine, two counts of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of pure methamphetamine, one count of possession of firearms by a prohibited person, and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.  

At the plea hearing, Hollers admitted that from November 2024 to December 2024, Hollers and others agreed to distribute methamphetamine.  He also admitted that he intended to distribute the methamphetamine that he was caught with by law enforcement officers on several occasions. 

On February 7, 2023, law enforcement officers in Webster County, Iowa, attempted a traffic stop on a car Hollers was driving.  Hollers failed to stop and a high-speed pursuit ensued.  Hollers reached speeds of over 100 miles-per-hour.  After he hit “stop-sticks,” Hollers came to a stop and officers arrested him.  Officers searched the car and seized more than 600 grams of methamphetamine, items for its distribution, over $1,800 U.S. currency, and various ammunition magazines belonging to Hollers. 

On December 5, 2024, after observing Hollers makea drug sale, law enforcement officers in Webster County, Iowa, again attempted a traffic stop of a car Hollers was driving.  Once again, Hollers failed to stop for law enforcement, and a similar high-speed pursuit ensued.  During the pursuit, law enforcement 

Officers observed Hollers discarding methamphetamine from his car.  Hollers stopped once it was disabled by striking a concrete median.  Law enforcement officers searched the car and seized approximately one-pound of methamphetamine, items for its distribution, two firearms (one loaded), and over $4,000 U.S. currency.  That same day, officers searched a residence in Fort Dodge that was associated with Hollers.  Officers seized approximately 75 grams pure methamphetamine and a digital scale.  

During the investigation, law enforcement officers obtained information that Hollers was a source of methamphetamine to numerous individuals and that Hollers would often carry firearms.  Hollers was previously convicted of several felonies in the State of Iowa, including a drug trafficking offense in 2017, possession of multiple firearms by a convicted felon in 2018, and a dangerous eluding by vehicle in 2020, among numerous other criminal offenses the preceding ten years. 

Hollers was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Judge Strand found that Hollers repeated, dangerous eluding conduct while in possession of large quantities of methamphetamine and firearms and ammunition extremely aggravating and despicable.  Hollers was sentenced to 224 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.

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

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

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Patrick T. Greenwood and Shawn S. Wehde, and was investigated by the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Webster County Sheriff’s Office, Fort Dodge Police Department, Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office, Sac County Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Laboratory.  

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

The case file number is 25-CR-03056.  

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Kristie Williams, 36, from Sioux City, Iowa, pled guilty on August 4, 2026, in federal court in Sioux City.  Williams pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, one count of distributing methamphetamine within 1,000 feet of a protected location, and one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine within 1,000 feet of a protected location.

At the plea hearing, Williams admitted her involvement in a conspiracy from January 2025 through November 2025 that distributed more than three pounds of methamphetamine.  On at least three occasions Williams distributed and helped another distribute a total of over 184 grams of pure methamphetamine to individuals cooperating with law enforcement.  In October 2025, officers executed a search warrant at Williams’ residence and seized over 12 grams of pure methamphetamine.  Williams intended to distribute some or all of this methamphetamine to other persons.  These distributions occurred within 1,000 feet of Fairmount City Park and Cecillia City Park in Sioux City.  

Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Williams remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing.  She 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 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 Tri-State Drug Task Force based in Sioux City, Iowa, that consists of law enforcement personnel from the Drug Enforcement Administration; Sioux City, Iowa, Police Department; Homeland Security Investigations; Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office; South Sioux City, Nebraska, Police Department; Nebraska State Patrol; Iowa National Guard; Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; United States Marshals Service; South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation; and Woodbury County Attorney’s Office.  

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

The case file number is 25-4063.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

A convicted felon who illegally possessed a gun was sentenced yesterday to five years in federal prison.

Miykael Jolliff, age 20, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after a March 19, 2026, guilty plea to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

At the guilty plea, Jolliff admitted he possessed a gun after being previously convicted of felony offenses.  In 2025, Jolliff was convicted of intimidation with a dangerous weapon and possession with intent to deliver marijuana.   

Jolliff was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Jolliff 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 Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

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

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lisa C. Williams and 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 25-CR-0079.

Lopez Munongo Makengo, age 36, from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), was convicted by a jury today, after a 3-day trial in federal court in Sioux City.  Makengo was found guilty of unlawful possession of identification documents and unlawful use of identification documents.  The verdict was returned this morning following about 7 hours of jury deliberations.

Evidence in the case revealed that in 2014, Makengo, entered the Diversity Visa lottery, and later was granted a Diversity Visa.  Makengo then immigrated to the United States in 2016.  In 2017, he petitioned for relatives to join him in the United States—including a child born in 2013.  In 2022, when the Sioux City Police Department was investigating child abuse and neglect allegations by Makengo, it was discovered by Department of State officials that Makengo had made a false statement on his application to obtain his Diversity Visa.  Makengo failed to disclose that he had a child from 2014-2016, despite swearing under oath at the U.S. Embassy in DRC that the contents of his application were true and correct.  On his 2017 petition for relatives to join him, however, he admitted that he had a child born in 2013.

Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Makengo remains free on bond previously set pending sentencing.  Makengo faces a possible maximum sentence of 5 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and a term of up to 3 years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

The case is being investigated by the United States Department of State – Diplomatic Security Service and the Sioux City, Iowa Police Department.  This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Ron Timmons, Shawn Wehde, and Tim Vavricek.  

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

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

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

The case file number is 25-4010.

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Mark Milk, who is alleged to be involved in the disappearance and death of a 14-year-old Sioux Falls girl, McKenna Wendel, was ordered detained, pending a detention hearing set for 2:30 p.m. on July 30, 2026, following his initial appearance today in federal court. 

Milk, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. Trial in Milk’s case is set for September 28, 2026, in the United States District Court in Sioux City.­ 

Milk and his co-defendant, Jon Rogness of Brookings, South Dakota, were indicted on June 17, 2026. The indictment charges Milk with five counts, alleging that he: 

Possessed with intent to distribute and distributed cocaine, the use of which resulted in McKenna Wendel’s death;

• Possessed with the intent to distribute and distributed THC;
   
• Transported a minor across a state line with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity;
   
• Conspired to conceal objects with the intent to impair their integrity and availability for an official proceeding; and 
   
• Concealed objects with the intent to impair their availability for an official proceeding.

If convicted, Milk faces a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment; a $1,000,000 fine; and up to 5 years of supervised release following any imprisonment. 

Rogness’s initial appearance and arraignment are scheduled for August 6, 2026. The indictment charges Rogness with two counts: 

• Conspiracy to conceal objects with the intent to impair their integrity and availability for an official proceeding; and
   
• Accessory to Milk after the alleged cocaine possession and distribution resulted in McKenna Wendel’s death.  

If convicted, Rogness faces a possible maximum sentence of 35 years’ imprisonment; a $250,000 fine; and up to 5 years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

As with any criminal case, an indictment is merely an accusation, and defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Forde Fairchild. It is being investigated by the Sioux Falls Police Department; Sioux Falls Fire Rescue; Minnehaha County, South Dakota, Sheriff’s Department; Minnehaha County Search and Rescue; Brookings County, South Dakota, Sheriff’s Office; Brookings Police Department; Brookings Fire Department; South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation; Brookings County Attorney’s Office; Minnehaha County, South Dakota, Attorney’s Office; the Iowa Department of Public Safety—Division of Criminal Investigation; Iowa State Patrol; Lyon County, Iowa, Sheriff’s Department; Lyon County Attorney’s Office; the South Dakota Attorney General’s Office; U.S. Department of Justice’s Federal Bureau of Investigation; and U.S. Department of Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Court file information is available at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/​cgi-bin/‌​‌login.pl. The case file number is 26-4032.

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Yoni Duenas, age 28, from Sioux City, was sentenced on July 23, 2026, to 6 years in federal prison after an April 7, 2026, guilty plea to possession of a firearm by a felon and drug user. 

On January 2, 2026, just before midnight, a Lyon County Sheriff’s Deputy initiated a traffic stop for an equipment violation on a vehicle being driven by Duenas.  Duenas was impaired, even losing consciousness during field sobriety tests.  Inside the car, there was an overpowering odor of marijuana, a female passenger, a 4-year-old child, a 1-year-old child, marijuana, methamphetamine, and a loaded handgun.    

Duenas’ criminal history includes three state convictions for possession of controlled substances – methamphetamine, and five criminal use or possession of a firearm offenses including a pervious federal felony conviction where defendant possessed multiple firearms on different occasions.  

After serving his first federal sentence, Duenas was required to serve a federal term of supervise release.  He failed that term of supervision, was revoked, and sent back to federal prison three times.  Just 38 days after completing that federal sentence, Duenas had rearmed and was arrested by the Lyon County Sherriff’s Office. 

Duenas was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand to 72 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

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

The case was investigated by Lyon County, Iowa Sheriff’s Department and the United States Department of Justice’s Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF). This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Forde Fairchild.  

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

The case file number is 26-04007.

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 A man who illegally reentered the United States from Guatemala was sentenced July 23, 2026, to eight months in federal prison.

Rigoberto Corado-Hernandes, age 63, from Guatemala but illegally residing in Rock Valley, Iowa, received the prison term after a May 20, 2026, guilty plea to one count of illegal reentry.

At the hearings, Corado-Hernandes admitted he illegally reentered the United States without permission after having been previously removed from the United States on two occasions.  He had previously been convicted in Sioux County, Iowa, in 2024 of domestic abuse assault, first offense, with a dangerous weapon after he attempted to stab his nephew with a knife.  He was then located by immigration officials in the Sioux County jail on January 13, 2026, where he was being held on a probation violation stemming from the 2024 sentence. While in custody, officials determined he was a citizen of Guatemala, had no legal status to be in the United States, and had previously been deported from the United States to Guatemala.  

Corado-Hernandes was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand.  He was sentenced to eight 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.

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

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

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

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

The case file number is 26-CR-04011.  

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