Felon Sentenced to Over Seven Years in Federal Prison for Possessing a Gun

A felon who was previously convicted of drug distribution charges was sentenced August 26, 2028, to 92 months in federal prison for possessing a gun.

Donta Racine Euells, age 45, from Freeport, Illinois, received the prison term after a January 12, 2026, guilty plea to possession of a firearm as a felon.

On August 9, 2025, Dubuque police responded to a 911 call. Victims reported that Euells, Davion Trawick (who has previously been sentenced), and another man forced their way into the home. At the time, Trawick possessed a large capacity firearm and Euells possessed what later was determined to be a BB-gun. However, law enforcement officers found a gun in Euell's car that he had driven to the residence. Euells was prohibited from possessing firearms because of numerous prior felony convictions.

Euells was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Euells was sentenced to 92 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.

Euells is being held in the United States Marshal's custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nicole L. Nagin and investigated by the Dubuque Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.plLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link..

The case file number is 25-CR-1042-2.

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