Man to Federal Prison for Over 11 Years for Illegal Possession of Stolen Firearms

A man who illegally possessed firearms that were stolen was sentenced on March 30, 2023, in federal court in Sioux City to over 11 years in federal prison.

Logan Rhinehart, 27, from Fairfield, Iowa, pled guilty on November 16, 2022, to one count of prohibited person in possession of a firearm and one count of possession of a stolen firearm.

At the plea and sentencing hearings, evidence showed that Rhinehart was previously convicted of felony burglary, escape and theft.  These convictions prohibit a person from possessing any firearm.  Evidence showed that on January 13, 2022, law enforcement located a stolen .22 caliber firearm under circumstances which indicated it had been stolen by Rhinehart.  On January 28, 2022, law enforcement attempted to pull Rhinehart over when they observed him driving a stolen vehicle. As law enforcement attempted to stop the vehicle, Rhinehart attempted to flee driving at a high rate of speed (113+ mph) and the vehicle ended up crashing into a snow drift.  Rhinehart then attempted to flee on foot before apprehended by law enforcement.  During the attempted flight Rhinehart threw a 40 caliber pistol, which was also stolen, out of the vehicle which was later recovered from the scene.  Further evidence showed that from between January 13, 2022 and January 28, 2022, Rhinehart burglarized two separate homes and stole numerous items, including two firearms.

Sentencing was held before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Rhinehart was sentenced to 136 months’ imprisonment and must serve a three-year term of supervised release following imprisonment.  There is no parole in the federal system.  Rhinehart remains in custody of the United States Marshal until he can be transported to a federal prison.

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.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and was investigated by the Wright County Sheriff’s Office, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, 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 22-3008.  Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.