Alta Iowa Man Pleads Guilty to Illegal Possession of a Firearm

A man who illegally possessed a firearm pled guilty August 11, 2025, in federal court in Sioux City.

Taxavier Ford, 29, from Alta, Iowa, was convicted of one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.  Ford was previously convicted of possession of a narcotic drug, in the State of Indiana in 2017, and possession of marijuana, with intent to deliver and possession of a firearm by a felon, in the Iowa District Court for Buena Vista County in 2021.  Both of these convictions prohibit a person from possessing any firearm.

At the plea hearing, evidence showed that on March 14, 2025, in Storm Lake, Iowa, law enforcement observed a vehicle, driven by Ford, with illegal window tint and initiated a traffic stop.  Officers measured the window tint which revealed it was in excess of Iowa state law.  When measuring the window tint, officers smelled the odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle.  During a search of the vehicle and Ford, officers found a metal object in Ford’s waistband.  Ford admitted he had a loaded firearm in his waistband. 

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.

This case is also part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Ford remains free on bond previously set pending sentencing.  Ford faces a possible maximum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and no more than three years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

The case was investigated by the Storm Lake Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kraig R. Hamit.  

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.

The case file number is 25-4028.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.