Timothy T. Duax U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa
Michael Turner, a 35-year-old resident of Fort Dodge, Iowa, has been sentenced to 87 months in federal prison for the illegal possession of a firearm. The sentencing took place on July 1, 2025, in Sioux City.
During a plea hearing on February 5, 2025, Turner confessed to possessing a Glock .45 caliber pistol between March 1 and March 29, 2024. He acknowledged knowing that he was previously convicted of crimes punishable by more than one year of imprisonment and was an unlawful user of controlled substances. On March 29, 2024, authorities stopped Turner and found him with the pistol. Ballistic evidence later confirmed that this firearm was used in a shooting incident on March 8, 2024, in Fort Dodge. Surveillance footage further suggested Turner's presence at the scene.
United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand presided over the sentencing. Turner will serve a two-year supervised release term after his imprisonment without the possibility of parole under the federal system. He remains in custody pending transport to a federal facility.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence through collaboration among law enforcement agencies and communities. The Department strengthened PSN on May 26, 2021, focusing on community trust, support for violence prevention organizations, strategic enforcement priorities, and outcome measurement.
Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde prosecuted the case following investigations by several agencies including the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and Fort Dodge Police Department.
