Timothy T. Duax U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa
A Dubuque man has admitted to illegal gun possession, entering a guilty plea in federal court in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Nicholas David Welter, a 32-year-old resident of Dubuque, was convicted of possessing a firearm as a felon.
Welter acknowledged, as part of a plea agreement, that law enforcement officers found him on October 18, 2024, sitting in a vehicle in Dubuque with a loaded stolen firearm near his feet. He confessed to having possession of the gun. Welter's criminal record includes convictions for second-degree theft and third-degree burglary.
The case is connected to Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative that combines various law enforcement agencies and community efforts to lower violent crime and gun violence, aiming to create safer neighborhoods. Since May 26, 2021, the Department initiated a strategy to reduce violent crime, enhancing PSN's foundational principles such as building community trust and legitimacy, supporting violence-preventing organizations, establishing focused enforcement priorities, and evaluating results.
Sentencing for Welter will be determined by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams once a presentence report is completed. Until then, Welter will remain in the custody of the United States Marshal. He faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison, along with a potential $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release after any imprisonment.
