Tag: Iowa
Joshua Brandon Johnson, Loan Fraud, California 2022
⏱ 3 min read In a brazen COVID-19 loan scam, Joshua Brandon Johnson, 34, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, laundered over $20,000 in fraudulently obtained Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan money. Johnson’s scheme unfolded in June 2021, when he received the cash, claiming to be a barber who earned nearly $100,000 in 2020. In reality, he…
Jodi Dyan Spargur-Tate, Embezzlement, Iowa 2026
⏱ 3 min read A brazen con artist used her job as a program director at Children and Families of Iowa to steal from a federal jobless aid fund, submitting fake invoices and reimbursement requests that netted her thousands of dollars, authorities say. Jodi Dyan Spargur-Tate, 55, worked at the nonprofit between 2015 and 2022,…
James Merlin Hall, Possession of a Firearm by a Felon, Iowa 2026
⏱ 2 min read A six-time felon is headed to the federal pen after Cedar Rapids cops found him with a gun. James Merlin Hall, 48, was sentenced to 5 years in prison on April 22, 2026, for possessing a firearm after having six felony convictions. On August 19, 2025, police searched Hall’s recreational vehicle…
Nathan Frazier Stark, Gun Possession, Iowa 2024
⏱ 2 min read Nathan Frazier Stark, 48, walked into a Dubuque, Iowa kitchen on January 24, 2024, with a gun and a bag of meth. He’s now walking into a federal prison cell, sentenced to 37 months for violating the law as a convicted domestic abuser with a firearm. Stark’s world came crashing down…
Dawson Sanderson, Sexually Exploiting Children, Iowa 2026
A despicable act of child exploitation has landed a Cedar Rapids man behind bars. Dawson Sanderson, a 24-year-old resident of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has been sentenced to 25 years in federal prison for his heinous crimes. According to court documents, Sanderson pleaded guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of children and one count of…
Justin Noel Allen, Methamphetamine Possession with Intent to Distribute, Iowa 2026
Dubuque Man Found Guilty of Possessing Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute Justin Noel Allen, 43, from Dubuque, Iowa, was found guilty of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute after a four-day trial in federal court in Cedar Rapids. The verdict was returned on April 23, 2026, following about four hours of jury deliberations. The…
Nicholas John Baker, Gun Possession by Felon, Iowa 2026
Felon’s Gun Possession Lands Him in Federal Prison Nicholas John Baker, 35, of Dubuque, Iowa, has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for illegally possessing a firearm. This sentence was handed down on April 24, 2026. The crime occurred on July 31, 2025, during a domestic dispute. Law enforcement officials searched Baker’s home…
Blake Allen Ott, Possession of a Firearm by a Felon, Iowa 2025
⏱ 2 min read A loaded gun, cash, and marijuana found at Blake Allen Ott’s Dubuque, Iowa home in October 2024 sealed his fate. The 23-year-old had already given the firearm to a friend who used it in a brazen robbery. Ott, a convicted felon with prior convictions for riot and robbery, pleaded guilty to…
Jodi Dyan Spargur-Tate, Theft from a Federal Funds Recipient, Iowa 2026
A former Iowa nonprofit program director has pleaded guilty to stealing federal funds meant to help Americans find work. Jodi Dyan Spargur-Tate, 55, was employed by Children and Families of Iowa (CFI) between 2015 and 2022. According to public court documents, Spargur-Tate submitted false and fraudulent reimbursement requests, including falsified invoices and receipts. She used…
Joshua Brandon Johnson, Laundering Pandemic Loan Money, Iowa 2026
Cedar Rapids man Joshua Brandon Johnson, age 34, was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison for laundering over $20,000 in fraudulently obtained government loan moneys during the COVID-19 pandemic. Johnson, a convicted felon, received the prison term after a December 1, 2025, guilty plea to one count of engaging in a monetary transaction in…
