Hawkeye Reporter

A Michigan man has been sentenced to more than four years in federal prison for illegally possessing a firearm as a felon in Iowa. Marquise Darius Dickerson, 33, from Monroe, Michigan, was sentenced on September 26, 2025, after pleading guilty earlier this year to possession of a firearm by a felon.

In August 2024, Oelwein police responded to an assault report involving Dickerson. The victim told officers that Dickerson had spat on and choked them while intoxicated. During their investigation at the residence, law enforcement found that Dickerson had a firearm. Because of his status as a convicted felon, he is not allowed to possess firearms.

United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams sentenced Dickerson in Cedar Rapids to 52 months in prison. After serving his sentence, Dickerson will be under supervised release for three years. Federal inmates are not eligible for parole.

Dickerson remains in the custody of the United States Marshal until he is transported to federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nicole Nagin and investigated by the Oelwein Police Department and the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa, "This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results."