Rodeo Clown Gets 20 Years for Marijuana Operation

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – Rory Meeks, 55, of Marion, Iowa, traded in bull whips for prison stripes this week, sentenced to twenty years behind bars for running a large-scale marijuana operation in rural Jones County. The former rodeo clown and bullfighter was convicted in March of conspiracy to manufacture marijuana following a jury trial, and Chief Judge Linda R. Reade delivered the harsh sentence on May 29, 2013.

For over six years, from 2004 through 2011, Meeks allegedly cultivated cannabis amongst legitimate crops. Evidence presented at trial revealed Meeks wasn’t just clowning around – he was strategically planting marijuana in secluded areas of corn and soybean fields throughout Jones County. He diligently tended to the illegal crop throughout the summer months, then harvested and processed it at a residence in the county, pushing the product throughout the fall and winter. Prosecutors successfully argued Meeks was responsible for growing over 1000 marijuana plants during the conspiracy.

This isn’t Meeks’ first rodeo with the law. Court records show a previous federal conviction for cocaine trafficking in 1987. He received a ten-year sentence and a $10,000 fine for those offenses. The repeat offender status, combined with the sheer volume of marijuana involved in this latest case, triggered a mandatory minimum sentence of twenty years, leaving Judge Reade with little discretion.

Assistant United States Attorney Anthony Morfitt successfully prosecuted the case, building it on an investigation spearheaded by the Drug Enforcement Administration, alongside the Jones County Sheriff’s Office and the Monticello Police Department. The collaborative effort brought down Meeks’ operation and secured the lengthy prison term. A $100 special assessment was also levied against Meeks, and he’ll face a ten-year term of supervised release after completing his sentence – a grim reality in a federal system that offers no parole.

Currently in the custody of the United States Marshals, Meeks awaits transfer to a federal prison facility. His days of entertaining crowds are over, replaced by a two-decade stretch of confinement. The case file, number CR 12-91-LRR, is publicly accessible through the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa’s electronic filing system: https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl

Grimy Times will continue to follow this case and report on other federal crimes impacting communities across the nation. This conviction serves as a stark reminder that even those who appear to live a life of entertainment can be deeply involved in serious criminal activity.