Iowa Felon Sentenced for Stolen Gun Possession

It’s a hard-hitting tale of illegal arms in Iowa: Joseph Isiah Hardy, Sr., 38, from the small town of Humboldt, has been sent to federal prison for 21 months after being caught with a stolen firearm. On November 28, 2023, Hardy pleaded guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person.

The grim saga began on October 27, 2022, when the Humboldt Police Department was called out to investigate a possible stolen gun. During their search, they detained Hardy and found him in possession of the stolen firearm. A chilling admission from Hardy revealed he had previously been convicted of felony assault of an at-risk person in Colorado back in 2012.

The sentencing took place in Sioux City before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand, who handed down the 21-month sentence. Upon his release, Hardy will also have to serve a 3-year term of supervised release, with no parole available in the federal system.

Hardy is currently being held by the United States Marshal’s Service until he can be transported to a federal prison. The investigation leading to Hardy’s conviction was a collaborative effort between the Humboldt Police Department, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office, and the Iowa State Patrol, with Assistant United States Attorney Kraig R. Hamit handling the prosecution.

For more information on this case, visit the court file at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is CR23-3010. Follow the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.