Charles City, Iowa resident Thomas Jay Downer, 34, was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison for manufacturing and distributing pipe bombs and methamphetamine.
Downer pleaded guilty on July 7, 2022, to distribution of more than 5 grams of pure methamphetamine, possession of multiple destructive devices (pipe bombs), and possession of firearms as a felon.
The court heard that Downer admitted selling five pipe bombs and distributing over 5 grams of methamphetamine in October 2020. His pipe bombs were constructed from plastic plumbing pipes with BBs and nails serving as shrapnel.
Downer was also found to possess firearms following a prior felony conviction on November 13, 2020. Sentenced by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams, Downer’s sentence includes 168 months’ imprisonment followed by a 5-year term of supervised release.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which aims to reduce violent crime and make communities safer. Assistant United States Attorney Patrick J. Reinert prosecuted the case, while the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated it.
Downer’s court file information is available at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl, and the case file number is 22-CR-02015. Follow @USAO_NDIA for more updates.
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Key Facts
- State: Iowa
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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