Timothy T. Duax U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa
Jena Lea Wells, a 30-year-old woman from Silvis, Illinois, was sentenced on March 9 to more than three years in federal prison for her involvement in the theft of fifteen firearms from a Waterloo residence.
Wells pleaded guilty on September 19, 2025, to possession of stolen firearms. The case highlights ongoing efforts by law enforcement to address gun theft and related crimes.
According to information presented at the plea and sentencing hearings, Wells was living in Waterloo, Iowa, in June 2024 and was in a relationship with Justin Barnes. That month, both individuals stole fifteen guns from an unoccupied house. Wells acted as a lookout while Barnes took the firearms. The stolen guns were then brought to Wells’s residence.
Barnes attempted to sell the firearms but was stopped by police during a traffic stop on June 10, 2024. Officers found several of the stolen guns in Barnes’s backpack. During this stop, Wells tried to hide the bag containing the weapons by pulling it toward her seat in the car. Police later searched Wells’s home twice; during these searches she lied about having any stolen firearms and denied knowledge of their presence when additional guns were found.
United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams sentenced Wells in Cedar Rapids to 41 months’ imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release. There is no parole available under the federal system. Barnes has also pleaded guilty and is scheduled for sentencing on May 1, 2026.
The case is part of Operation Take Back America, an initiative that uses Department of Justice resources against illegal immigration and transnational criminal organizations while aiming to protect communities from violent crime.
Wells remains in United States Marshal’s custody until she is transported to federal prison.
