A convicted felon who illegally possessed a firearm was sentenced December 30, 2025, to more than four years in federal prison.Brandon Hentz, age 37, from Galena, Illinois, received the prison term after a July 25, 2025, guilty plea to one count of possession of a firearm by a felon.On January 12, 2025, an officer with the Dubuque Police Department stopped a car that Hentz was driving for a traffic violation. During the traffic stop, officers located marijuana, pills, and a loaded gun in the car. Hentz was prohibited from possessing firearms based on two prior felony convictions. Hentz was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J.
Williams. Hentz was sentenced to 51 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 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.
On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.Hentz is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Adam J. Vander Stoep and investigated by the Dubuque Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.The case file number is 25-CR-1026.Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.