Month: June 2022

Source: United States Department of Justice News

A felon who possessed a firearm was sentenced on June 9, 2022, to 87 months in federal prison.

Dewon Campbell, age 23, of Waterloo received the sentence after a November 3, 2021 guilty plea to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.  At the plea hearing, Campbell admitted that, on March 29, 2021, he knowingly possessed a pistol after having been convicted of a felony offense.

Campbell was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams.  Campbell was sentenced to 87 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system. 

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).  PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lisa Williams and was investigated by a Federal Task Force composed of the Waterloo Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms assisted by the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office and the Cedar Falls Police Department.

Court file information is available at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.  The case file number is CR 21-2056.

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Source: United States Department of Justice News

United States Attorney Bob Murray announced today that RELAND LEONARD -HIWALKER, A/K/A/ RELAND FERRIS, age 37, of Fort Washakie, Wyoming was charged with three counts of assault by strangulation. Ferris appeared for an arraignment hearing on June 7, 2022, before Federal District Court Magistrate Judge Teresa McKee and pleaded not guilty to the charges. A trial has been set for August 8, 2022.  

Ferris faces up to 30 years’ imprisonment, three years of supervised release, up to a $750,000 fine, and a $300 special assessment. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

This crime is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Assistant United States Attorney Kerry J. Jacobson is prosecuting the case.

An indictment merely contains allegations, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Case No. 22-CR-00071-ABJ

Source: United States Department of Justice News

United States Attorney Bob Murray announced today that ROLAN FRENCH, age 48, of Cheyenne, Wyoming, was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and possessing an unregistered firearm. French appeared for an arraignment hearing on June 6, 2022, before Federal District Court Magistrate Judge Kelly H. Rankin and pleaded not guilty to the charges. A trial has been set for August 8, 2022.  

French faces up to 20 years’ imprisonment,  three  years of supervised release, up to a $500,000 fine, and a $200 special assessment. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

This crime is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Cheyenne Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Timothy J. Forwood is prosecuting the case.

An indictment merely contains allegations, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Case No. 22-CR-00054-ABJ

Source: United States Department of Justice News

United States Attorney Bob Murray announced today that JESSICA WALLOWINGBULL, 27, of Fort Washakie, Wyoming, was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and resulting in serious bodily injury. Wallowingbull appeared for an arraignment hearing on May 19, 2022, before Federal District Court Magistrate Teresa McKee and pleaded not guilty to the charges. A trial has been set for July 25, 2022, and the defendant was remanded to the custody of the United States Marshal Service.  

Wallowingbull faces up to 20 years of imprisonment, three years of supervised release, up to a $500,000 fine, and a $200 special assessment. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

This crime is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Assistant United States Attorney Timothy W. Gist is prosecuting the case.

An indictment merely contains allegations, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Case No. 22-cr-00052-NDF

Source: United States Department of Justice News

FARGO – Interim United States Attorney Nicholas W. Chase announced that on June 9, 2022, U.S. District Court Chief Judge Peter D. Welte sentenced Jeffrey Lee Buckmeier, age 42, Fargo, ND, to 27 years in federal prison for the charges of Receipt and Distribution of Materials Containing Child Pornography and Possession of Materials Containing Child Pornography. Chief Judge Welte also sentenced Buckmeier to a lifetime period of supervised release and ordered him to pay $84,000 in restitution to the child victims depicted in his child pornography collection.

This case came to the attention of law enforcement after KIK reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that one of its users uploaded 27 files of child pornography to a KIK group on January 22 and 24, 2021. A subsequent investigation identified the defendant, Jeffrey Buckmeier, a thrice-convicted sex offender, as the user of the KIK account. In an attempt to avoid detection, Buckmeier used the IP addresses of several local businesses to download child pornography on his cell phone.

On August 27, 2021, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Buckmeier’s residence located in Fargo, ND. A forensic examination of the devices seized from the residence revealed more than 11,000 images and 900 videos of child pornography

depicting children as young as three months of age. The investigation also revealed that Buckmeier used several social media platforms to communicate and trade child pornography with others.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigations, and North Dakota Parole and Probation and prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office, with Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Puhl assigned to the case.

This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices throughout the nation, Project Safe Childhood, in conjunction with Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC), help federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies enhance their investigative responses to offenders who use the Internet, online communications systems, or computer technology to sexually exploit children. The ICAC Program is a national network of 61 coordinated task forces engaging in proactive investigations, forensic investigations, and criminal prosecutions. Project Safe Childhood also helps to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

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