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Press Release

Convicted Robber Sentenced to Almost Four Years in Federal Prison for Unlawfully Possessing a Gun

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Iowa
Involved in a Hit-and-Run Accident that Led to Police Finding a Gun in his Car

A man previously convicted of robbery who possessed a gun with an obliterated serial number while under the influence of marijuana was sentenced today to almost four years in federal prison.

Joseph Bogovich, age 34, from Dubuque, Iowa, received the prison term after a February 7, 2019 guilty plea to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Information disclosed at sentencing and in a written plea agreement showed that shortly after 1:00 a.m. on September 8, 2018, Bogovich was driving in Dubuque when he hit a parked car.  Bogovich’s driver’s license was suspended at the time.  He drove away from the scene, but a witness to the accident reported it to the police.

Officers from the Dubuque Police Department found Bogovich a short time later outside his home.  Bogovich admitted to hitting the parked car because he lost control while scratching off a lottery ticket.  An officer saw a handgun in Bogovich’s car.  The serial number had been obliterated from the gun.  Bogovich had previously been convicted of a felony robbery offense.  Officers also found marijuana in the car and Bogovich admitted to having used marijuana earlier that night.

Bogovich was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams.  Bogovich was sentenced to 46 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).  PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

Bogovich is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Anthony Morfitt and investigated by the Dubuque Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. 

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

The case file number is 18-CR-1048.

Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.

Updated May 31, 2019

Topics
Firearms Offenses
Project Safe Neighborhoods