Twice-Convicted drug dealer pleads guilty in federal court
to meth conspiracy
Contact: Peter Deegan
A man who conspired to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine in the Fort Dodge area pled guilty on October 25, 2010, in federal court in Sioux City.
Matthew McCauley, 55, from Fort Dodge, Iowa, was convicted of conspiring to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine and manufacturing and attempting to manufacture methamphetamine. McCauley was previously convicted of possession of pseudoephedrine with intent to manufacture methamphetamine on April 26, 2005, in Hancock County, Iowa, District Court and of possession of cocaine on April 25, 2006, in Webster County, Iowa, District Court.
At the plea hearing, McCauley admitted he conspired to manufacture and distribute more than 50 grams of pure methamphetamine from 2009 through July 2010 in the Fort Dodge area. On February 10, 2010, law enforcement officers searched the house where McCauley was residing. Officers seized a number of items associated with the manufacture of methamphetamine, including empty pseudoephedrine pill packs; hydrogen peroxide; Coleman fuel; peeled lithium batteries; muriatic acid; a digital scale; and other drug paraphernalia. During the course of the conspiracy, McCauley obtained pseudoephedrine from several co-conspirators in exchange for cash or methamphetamine.
Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Mark W. Bennett will be set after a presentence report is prepared. McCauley remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. On the conspiracy conviction, McCauley faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment, an $8,000,000 fine, a special assessment of $100, and 10 years up to life of supervised release following any imprisonment. On the manufacturing conviction, McCauley faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment, a $4,000,000 fine, a special assessment of $100, and a term of supervised release of 8 years up to life.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and was investigated by the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, Webster County Sheriff’s Office, and Fort Dodge Police Department.
Court file information is available at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is 10-3024.
