Dexter Howard, Possession of Firearm by Convicted Felon, IA 2021

Dexter Howard, a 33-year-old Sioux City man with a rap sheet stacked with drug and burglary convictions, is headed to federal prison for brandishing a firearm he had no legal right to carry. Howard pleaded guilty on June 18, 2021, to a single count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and as a drug user—crimes that carry stiff federal penalties.

The gun Howard wielded wasn’t just illegal—it was altered. Federal prosecutors revealed the firearm had its manufacturer’s serial number obliterated, a hallmark of weapons meant to vanish into the underground. The break in the case came not from a raid or a tip, but from a video that surfaced online: Howard caught on camera waving the weapon inside his car while driving near an active crime scene police were investigating.

At his sentencing in Sioux City, U.S. District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand handed down a 33-month federal prison term—more than two years behind bars. Howard will also face a mandatory 3-year period of supervised release upon release. With no parole in the federal system, every day of that sentence must be served.

Howard’s history as a repeat offender and admitted drug user made him a prime target under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the Department of Justice’s signature initiative aimed at hammering violent criminals in high-crime areas. PSN marshals federal, state, and local law enforcement to target the most dangerous offenders, using data-driven tactics to disrupt cycles of violence.

The investigation was a joint effort between the Sioux City Police Department and federal agents, highlighting the collaboration that defines PSN operations. Assistant United States Attorney Forde Fairchild prosecuted the case, securing a conviction that underscores the federal government’s zero-tolerance stance on illegal firearms.

Howard remains in U.S. Marshals custody, awaiting transport to a federal penitentiary. The case, filed as 21-CR-4011, is publicly accessible through the Northern District of Iowa’s court records portal. Follow updates from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.

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