Timothy T. Duax U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa
A Minnesota man, Jay Anthony Tapper, age 56, from Rosemount, has pled guilty to harboring a fugitive in federal court in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The plea was entered on May 13, 2025. Tapper was convicted of one count of harboring a fugitive for actions taken in 2022.
During the plea hearing, Tapper acknowledged that he knew about a federal warrant for Mary Kate Nguyen's arrest during August and September 2022. He admitted to concealing Nguyen during those months with the intention of preventing her discovery and arrest on pending felony charges. Nguyen was later arrested by U.S. Marshals and sentenced to ten years' imprisonment for fraud and contempt charges in January 2025.
Tapper's sentencing will be scheduled following the preparation of a presentence report under United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand. He remains free on bond while awaiting sentencing and faces up to five years' imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release.
The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Timothy L. Vavricek. The investigation involved multiple agencies including the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation-Special Enforcement Operations Bureau, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Woodbury Police Department, U.S. Marshal’s Service, Sioux County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa State Patrol, Minnesota Department of Public Safety Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement Division, and Iowa Division of Intelligence.
