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April 18, 2022Cherokee County, IA, United StatesNarcotics

Iowa man sentenced to Federal prison for meth and firearm charges following ICE HSI, joint law enforcement partner, investigation

Hageman was caught with over a pound of meth in his residence.

CHEROKEE COUNTY, Iowa - A man who conspired to distribute methamphetamine while also illegally possessing firearms was sentenced Thursday to 42 months in federal prison following a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), joint law enforcement partner, investigation.

William Hageman, 56, from rural Cherokee County, Iowa, pled guilty on December 17, 2021, to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and possession of firearms by a prohibited person. In 1994, Hageman was previously convicted of OWI - 3rd Offense, in the Iowa District Court for Plymouth County, in 1994. This conviction prohibited Hageman from possessing guns.

At the plea and sentencing hearings, evidence showed that from August 2018 through April 18, 2019, Hageman and others conspired to distribute more than 11 pounds of methamphetamine in Cherokee County, Iowa, and the surrounding area, often obtaining pounds of methamphetamine from Omaha, Nebraska sources. On four separate occasions, in March and April 2019, Hageman distributed more than a pound of pure methamphetamine to individuals cooperating with and under the supervision of law enforcement. In April 2019, law enforcement executed a search of Hageman’s rural Cherokee County residence and seized almost 1.5 pounds of methamphetamine throughout the property, as well as six guns, including four rifles. At the time of the search, a co-conspirator was found attempting to flush methamphetamine down a toilet before officers could seize it. Three of the guns were possessed by Hageman while three others were possessed by a co-conspirator.

Sentencing was held before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand. Hageman was sentenced to 42 months’ imprisonment and must serve a term of three years supervised release following imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. Hageman remains in the custody of the United States Marshal Service until he can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn Wehde and was investigated by Tri-State Drug Task Force based in Sioux City, Iowa, that consists of law enforcement personnel from Homeland Security Investigations; Drug Enforcement Administration; Sioux City, Iowa, Police Department; Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office; South Sioux City, Nebraska, Police Department; Nebraska State Patrol; Iowa National Guard; Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; United States Marshals Service; South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation; and Woodbury County Attorney’s Office.

HSI is a directorate of ICE and the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel, and finance move. HSI’s workforce of over 10,400 employees consists of more than 7,100 special agents assigned to 220 cities throughout the United States, and 80 overseas locations in 53 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.

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

The case file number is 21-4048.

Learn more about HSI’s mission to combat narcotics and illegal weapons in your community @HSIKansasCity.

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