A 32-year-old Burlington man is headed to federal prison after being caught with over 200 grams of methamphetamine and a loaded shotgun in a motel parking lot. Jacob Robert Hogberg was sentenced Thursday, November 18, 2021, by U.S. District Chief Judge John A. Jarvey to 148 months behind bars on federal drug and gun charges.
Hogberg pleaded guilty on July 14, 2021, to two serious counts: Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine and Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition. As a previously convicted felon, he was legally barred from possessing any firearms or ammunition, yet officers found a loaded Mossberg 20-gauge pump-action shotgun and Winchester shells stashed in a vehicle tied to him.
The bust went down in December 2019 when law enforcement responded to the Super 8 Motel in Burlington on unrelated concerns. During the encounter, officers identified Hogberg and two others loitering near a vehicle later searched with probable cause. Inside, they seized 205.38 grams of meth — a stash with serious street value — and the loaded weapon just feet from public space.
Hogberg admitted to investigators that he intended to distribute some or all of the methamphetamine to another person, sealing his fate on the trafficking charge. His criminal history triggered enhanced penalties under federal law, turning what might have been a state case into a hard-time federal conviction.
In addition to his 12-year-plus prison term, Hogberg will serve five years of supervised release upon his eventual return to society. He’s also been ordered to pay $200 to the Crime Victims’ Fund — a small price compared to the damage wrought by the drug and gun epidemic tearing through small-town Iowa.
The case was prosecuted by United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa and investigated by the Burlington Police Department. Federal authorities say they’ll continue targeting armed drug traffickers who turn Iowa communities into grounds for their criminal operations.
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Key Facts
- State: Iowa
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Weapons
- Source: Official Source ↗
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