Sioux City Man Sentenced to More Than 10 Years in Federal Prison for Firearm and Meth Convictions

A man who illegally possessed three guns and several ounces of methamphetamine was sentenced on June 3, 2025, in federal court in Sioux City. 

Felipe Alcaraz, Jr., 35, from Sioux City, Iowa, pled guilty on January 21, 2025, to three counts of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.  Alcaraz, Jr. was previously convicted of eluding and possession of a controlled substance – third or subsequent offense, both prohibit a person from possessing a firearm. 

At the plea and sentencing hearings, evidence showed that on several occasions Alcaraz, Jr. fled law enforcement’s attempts to conduct traffic stops of vehicles he operated, driving recklessly at high speeds creating danger to others.  Alcaraz, Jr. was found to be involved with at least three guns.  During two traffic stops, law enforcement located guns and ammunition, and on another traffic stop, defendant had two ounces of methamphetamine seized.  One gun was stolen, another had an altered serial number, and a third was sold to another federal felon caught with it during his attempted flight from law enforcement.  Alcaraz, Jr. admitted his involvement with at least 350 grams of methamphetamine which he intended to distribute to others in the Sioux City area.  

Sentencing was held before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Alcaraz, Jr. was sentenced to 125 months’ imprisonment and must serve a term of six years supervised release following imprisonment.  There is no parole in the federal system.  Alcaraz, Jr. 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 Tri-State Drug Task Force based in Sioux City, Iowa, that consists of law enforcement personnel from the Drug Enforcement Administration; Sioux City, Iowa, Police Department; Homeland Security Investigations; Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office; South Sioux City, Nebraska, Police Department; Nebraska State Patrol; Iowa National Guard; Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; United States Marshals Service; South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation; and Woodbury County Attorney’s Office.    

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

The case file number is 24-4052.  

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