Evergreen Reporter

Tyler Meriweather, a 24-year-old resident of Fort Dodge, Iowa, was sentenced on September 17, 2024, to 30 months in prison for illegally purchasing firearms for others.

Meriweather pled guilty on March 4, 2024, to the straw purchase of firearms. Evidence presented during the plea and sentencing hearings revealed that Meriweather bought multiple firearms from federally licensed businesses in Iowa for individuals he knew were prohibited from possessing or purchasing firearms. This included a relative in California who is a felon. Investigators traced a firearm recovered from a minor in Fort Dodge back to Meriweather. Further investigation showed he had purchased additional firearms. During an interview, Meriweather admitted to buying firearms on behalf of others who could not legally purchase them and also confessed to being a marijuana user despite denying it on his firearm purchasing forms.

The sentencing took place before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand. In addition to the prison term, Meriweather must serve a one-year term of supervised release following his imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system.

Assistant United States Attorneys Jack Lammers and Patrick Greenwood prosecuted the case. The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI), and Fort Dodge Police Department.

Court file information can be accessed at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl with case file number 23-CR-03038.

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