An Iowa City man was sentenced on January 24, 2023, to five years in prison for possessing a firearm as a felon and making false declarations before a grand jury.
Law enforcement identified Wesley Jovan Carter, age 36, as being involved in a November 2020 burglary of an Iowa City towing company with Jeremiah Duwon Snead, age 32, of Cedar Rapids. Snead was sentenced to ten years in prison in August 2022 after a jury found him guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Evidence at Snead’s trial showed that Snead committed the November 2020 burglary and left his blood in Carter’s car. Carter’s car was observed on surveillance videos and his geolocation data placed him at the burglary scene. Carter was called to testify before a grand jury and falsely denied being present at the burglary or having any knowledge of it. A review of Carter’s Google account showed videos of Carter in possession of a nine-millimeter handgun and at a shooting range in possession of five firearms. Carter had been previously convicted of a felony and knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm.
United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Iowa City Police Department.
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. In May 2021, the Department of Justice 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.