Fort Dodge Man to Federal Prison for Meth and Gun Convictions

 A man who conspired to distribute methamphetamine and illegally possessed firearms was sentenced May 15, 2019, to 15 years in federal prison.

Cody Groat, 25, from Fort Dodge, Iowa, received the prison term after a November 16, 2018, guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine; possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; and possession of firearms by a domestic abuser.  Groat was previously convicted of domestic abuse assault in July of 2013.  

At sentencing, the district court found that from about 2017 through July 2018, Groat and others conspired to distribute more than four pounds of methamphetamine in the Fort Dodge area.  On December 27, 2017, law enforcement executed a search warrant of Groat’s residence.  At that time officers seized about ¾ pound of methamphetamine, three handguns, a shotgun, and assorted 9mm ammunition.  It was later determined that two of the 9mm handguns had been stolen from a large scale firearm (150+) burglary/arson case in Calhoun County, Iowa.  

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  

Groat was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Groat was sentenced to 180 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a five-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.  Groat 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 Shawn S. Wehde and investigated by the Fort Dodge Police Department, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Webster County, Iowa Sheriff’s Office, and Iowa Division of Criminal Investigations. 

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

The case file number is 18-3023.  Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.