A man who illegally possessed a gun pled guilty Sept. 24, 2020, in federal court in Sioux City.
Michael Limkemann, 35, Clarksville, IA, was convicted of illegal possession of a firearm as a felon and user of controlled substances. Limkemann was previously convicted of felony drug and weapons crimes which made it illegal for him to possess a gun.
At the plea hearing, Limkemann admitted that sometime in either May or September 2019, Limkemann had given a.22 rifle to another drug user. Limkemann further admitted to possessing the.22 rifle while he was a user of methamphetamine and marijuana.
Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Limkemann remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. Limkemann faces a possible maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and not more than 3 years of supervised release following any imprisonment.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
This case is also part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. For more information about Project Guardian, please see https://www.justice.gov/ag/page/file/1217186/download.
The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Patrick T. Greenwood and was investigated by Clarksville Police Department, Butler County Sheriff’s Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Enforcement.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 20-3010. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
