Grand Jury Witness Who Refused to Testify in Violation of Court Order Sentenced to Prison

A man who refused to testify in grand jury was sentenced on July 1, 2026, to 37 months in federal prison.

Bryon David Manning, age 21, from Dubuque, Iowa, received the prison term after a December 22, 2025, guilty plea to contempt of court.

Manning, who was previously convicted of burglary in the second degree and was serving his sentence in state custody, was summoned to federal grand jury in April and May 2025. Manning was ordered by the District Court Judge to testify in grand jury but refused to do so. Manning was first held in civil contempt for approximately four months and subsequently indicted for criminal contempt.

Manning was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Manning was sentenced to 37 months' imprisonment. He must also serve a five-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

Manning 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.

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-00093.

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