A man who illegally possessed a firearm was sentenced today to more than 3 years in federal prison.
David Thompson, 46, from Sioux City, Iowa, received the prison term after an April 21, 2022, guilty plea to being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm. Thompson was previously convicted of the following felonies: (1) furnishing a controlled substance to an Inmate on March 19, 2010; (2) forgery on March 19, 2010; and (3) domestic abuse assault on January 19, 2020, all in the Woodbury County, Iowa District Court. Each of these convictions prohibit Thompson from lawfully possessing a gun. Additionally, Thompson had been convicted of a domestic abuse misdemeanor, and admitted to being an illegal user of drugs. Both of these facts also prohibited Thompson from lawfully possessing a gun.
Evidence in this case showed that on December 31, 2021, Thompson was drinking alcohol, smoking marijuana, and was upset. During an argument, Thompson went outside to the front yard of the residence and fired a pistol into the sky 11 times while in a crowded urban area. Family members, including five juveniles were present inside the residence. Thompson admitted the firearm was his, that he was a felon, and that he was using controlled substances, mainly marijuana.
Thompson was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand. Thompson was sentenced to 42 months’ imprisonment and must pay a special assessment of $100. He must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. Thompson is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody 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 was investigated by the Sioux City, Iowa Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). The case was 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 22-4013. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.