Mason City Man Sent to Federal Prison for Illegal Possession of Firearm

Jason Keys, age 41, from Mason City, Iowa was sentenced today to more than six years in federal prison after a June 28, 2024, guilty plea to possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.

Evidence in the case revealed in January 2023, Keys was identified as a person distributing methamphetamine. Law enforcement utilized a confidential source to conduct a controlled purchase of methamphetamine, however, Keys had no methamphetamine to sell. The following day, Keys contacted the confidential source and advised that he had a revolver for sale. Law enforcement utilized the source to conduct a controlled buy of the firearm from Keys. Keys has a lengthy criminal history and was previously convicted of numerous burglaries and thefts, as well as multiple convictions for domestic abuse assault, assault, and controlled substance offenses.

Keys was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand to 78 months' imprisonment. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice's violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

Keys is being held in the United States Marshal's custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was investigated by the Cerro Gordo County Sheriff's Department, Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ron Timmons.

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.

The case file number is 24-3016.

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