Miguel Lopez, a 31-year-old from Fort Dodge, Iowa, pled guilty on March 24 in federal court in Sioux City to being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm.
Lopez admitted during the plea hearing to possessing a 9mm pistol on August 7, 2025. Law enforcement found the firearm after seeing Lopez discard it out of his car window during a traffic stop. Lopez has four previous felony convictions related to drugs and is therefore barred from owning or possessing firearms or ammunition.
The sentencing for Lopez will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence report by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand. Until then, he remains held by the United States Marshal. The maximum sentence Lopez could face includes up to 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release after imprisonment.
This case falls under Operation Take Back America, which is described as an initiative using Department of Justice resources to address illegal immigration and target violent crime.
