A man who illegally possessed a stolen firearm and ammunition was sentenced on June 23, 2022, in federal court in Sioux City.
Leonard Weimer, 46, from Storm Lake, Iowa, pled guilty on January 6, 2022, to illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition. Weimer was previously convicted of multiple felony offenses including Terrorism, where Weimer shot at two police vehicles occupied by deputies. Weimer’s prior felony convictions prohibited him from possessing firearms or ammunition.
At the sentencing hearing, evidence showed that defendant possessed a total of seven guns, four of which were stolen during a felony burglary. On April 2, 2021, Storm Lake law enforcement stopped a vehicle driven by Leonard Weimer for a traffic violation. Law enforcement ultimately found a small amount of methamphetamine in Weimer’s pocket, ammunition, and a .22 rifle that was stolen from Weimer’s ex-wife. Additionally, on May 19, 2021, as part of a theft investigation, law enforcement located a stolen 12-gauge shotgun in a separate vehicle owned by Weimer. Law enforcement then searched the residence belonging to Weimer’s ex-girlfriend, where Weimer would stay at times. There, a .380 handgun was recovered that was previously given by Weimer to his then nine-year-old son. Weimer’s ex-girlfriend later located four guns and over 2,000 rounds of ammunition hidden behind a false wall in a room where Weimer kept his belongings. Those firearms and ammunition had been reported stolen from the home of another person associated with Weimer.
Sentencing was held before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand. Weimer was sentenced to 8 years’ imprisonment and must serve a term of 3 years of supervised release following imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. Weimer remains in custody of the United States Marshal until he can be transported to a federal prison.
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.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick T. Greenwood and was investigated by Buena Vista County Sheriff’s Office, Storm Lake Police Department, Sac 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 21-4058. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.