Issac Rayford, age 32, from Sioux City, was sentenced on March 26 to four years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm by a felon, drug user, and domestic abuse misdemeanant.
The case highlights ongoing efforts to address violent crime involving firearms and domestic abuse. The sentencing follows an incident on November 2, 2024, when Rayford’s girlfriend found his loaded firearm on the toilet bowl while he was showering. Fearing for her safety, she hid the weapon. After discovering the gun was missing, Rayford violently attacked her by throwing her to the ground, putting his weight on her face, picking her up and throwing her again onto the floor, placing his hands around her neck, and breaking her clavicle. When he began searching for the gun elsewhere in their home, she escaped and a neighbor called police. Rayford fled before officers arrived.
On November 4 of that year, law enforcement responded after Rayford’s girlfriend reported seeing him enter her home via security camera footage. Officers took him into custody without further incident.
Rayford has prior convictions including two serious assaults; domestic abuse assault causing bodily injury; disorderly conduct involving choking a female; disorderly conduct where he jeopardized a baby and threatened others; interfering with official acts by fleeing police; driving while barred or suspended; and failing to appear for court.
United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand imposed a sentence of forty-eight months’ imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
This prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America—a nationwide initiative aimed at combating illegal immigration and eliminating cartels as well as transnational criminal organizations while protecting communities from violent crime perpetrators.
Rayford remains in United States Marshal’s custody until transfer to federal prison. The case was investigated by Sioux City Police Department along with the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Forde Fairchild.
