Dubuque Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Being a Prohibited Person in Possession of a Firearm

A prohibited person who possessed a gun was sentenced April 23, 2026, to more than three years in federal prison.

Nathan Frazier Stark, age 48, from Dubuque, Iowa, received the prison term after a September 29, 2025, guilty plea to one count of possession of a firearm by a person convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence.

On January 24, 2024, officers searched defendant's home in Dubuque, Iowa. During the search, officers found a revolver that had an obliterated serial number, Stark's cell phone, and a bag containing approximately 2.35 grams of methamphetamine on a table in the kitchen. At the guilty plea, Stark admitted that he possessed the firearm after having been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence.

Stark was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand. Stark was sentenced to 37 months' imprisonment. He must also serve a two-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

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

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.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Adam J. Vander Stoep and was 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-1004.

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