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Press Release

Sioux City Bounty Hunter Sentenced to Federal Prison for Unlawfully Transferring a Gun to a Felon

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Iowa
Cooke allowed convicted felons access to his guns.

A Sioux City man, who was a part-time bounty hunter and cement contractor, was sentenced to one month in federal prison on November 22, 2019, for providing an employee a firearm knowing that employee was a felon. 

Troy Cooke, age 47, from Sioux City, Iowa, received the prison term after a June 25, 2019, guilty plea to one count of transferring a firearm and ammunition to a prohibited person.

Evidence produced by the United States at the change of plea and sentencing hearings revealed that Cooke allowed felons access to his guns and, on one occasion, actually gave a felon a gun as collateral on a debt.      

Cooke was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Cooke was sentenced to one month’s imprisonment.  He was fined $15,000.  He must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

Cooke was released on the bond previously set and is to surrender to the United States Marshals on January 2, 2020.

The case was investigated by the Sioux City Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Forde Fairchild. 

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

The case file number is 19-4010.

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Updated November 26, 2019

Topics
Firearms Offenses
Project Safe Neighborhoods