Sarah Kay Johnson, Sawed-Off Shotgun Possession, Iowa 2025

A 38-year-old Iowa woman who illegally possessed a sawed-off shotgun and shared multiple guns with her husband, a convicted felon, has been sentenced to 42 months in federal prison.

Sarah Kay Johnson, from Mason City, Iowa, received the prison term after an October 17, 2024 guilty plea to possession of a national firearms destructive device not registered to possessor.

In October 2023, law enforcement officers conducted a traffic stop on Johnson's then boyfriend, Ian Jon Duffy, due to concerns about his wellbeing. At that time, he possessed multiple loaded firearms. Duffy had a prior domestic abuse conviction which prohibited him from possessing firearms.

After the traffic stop, Duffy had Johnson obtain a Glock handgun for him. At this time, Duffy was also prohibited from possessing a firearm due to a felony conviction. Johnson obtained several firearms that she shared with Duffy in their residence, including a sawed-off shotgun.

Johnson was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. She must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nicole L. Nagin, and it was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Waterloo Police Department, and the Cedar Falls Police Department.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.

Johnson's case highlights the importance of community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place. The federal government's violent crime reduction strategy, launched in 2021, aims to foster trust and legitimacy in communities, support community-based organizations, set focused enforcement priorities, and measure results.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndia/pr/woman-who-possessed-sawed-shotgun-and-shared-guns-felon-husband-sentenced-federal