Westside Man Pleads Guilty to Meth Conspiracy and Possessing a Firearm to Further the Conspiracy

A felon who conspired to distribute over 100 pounds of methamphetamine and possessed a GSG, MP5, .22-caliber firearm to further the conspiracy pled guilty today, April 5, 2018, in federal court in Sioux City.

Robert “Bobby” Whitenack, 37, from Westside, Iowa, was convicted of one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and one count of possession of a firearm during and in furtherance of the methamphetamine conspiracy.

In a plea agreement, Whitenack admitted that from January 2014 through May 2017, he conspired to distribute over 100 pounds of methamphetamine.  Whitenack admitted that he made multiple trips to Denison, Iowa, and Omaha, Nebraska, to pick up pound-quantities of methamphetamine, and recruited at least four individuals to do the same.  Whitenack received or expected to receive compensation for every pound of methamphetamine sold by his recruits.  Whitenack admitted that, in January 2016, he directed a coconspirator to pick up approximately $10,000 in cash from a customer in Milford, Iowa, and bring it to Whitenack so that he could pay his source.  In February 2017, Whitenack admitted that he possessed a GSG, MP5, .22-caliber firearm to further the conspiracy. 

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.   Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority.   In October 2017, as part of a series of actions to address this crime trend, Attorney General Sessions announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop a district crime reduction strategy that incorporates the lessons learned since PSN launched in 2001.

Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Whitenack remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing.  Whitenack faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of life years’ imprisonment, a $20,000,000 fine, and 10 years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney

Ajay J. Alexander and was investigated by the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigations, DEA Tri-State Drug Task Force, Crawford County Sheriff’s Office, Denison Police Department, Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, and Carroll Police Department. 

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

The case file number is 17-CR-3020-LTS.

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