Daniel Smith, a 38-year-old resident of Fort Dodge, Iowa, was sentenced in federal court in Sioux City on October 8, 2025. Smith had previously pleaded guilty to one count of illegal possession of firearms on May 20, 2025.
Smith’s prior convictions include Unauthorized Possession of Offensive Weapons in 2017 and Dominion/Control of Firearm/Offensive Weapon by a Felon in 2022, both in Iowa. These convictions made it illegal for him to possess any firearms.
According to evidence presented during the plea and sentencing hearings, Smith was found in possession of three firearms—a .22 rifle, a .410 shotgun, and a 16-gauge shotgun—in November 2024 at his residence in Fort Dodge. The firearms had been given to him by another individual. On November 16, law enforcement responded to Smith’s home following a report of shots fired and observed signs that a shotgun had recently been discharged. A search warrant executed on November 21 led officers to seize the three firearms from his residence. Smith admitted that he received the guns and fired two of them to test their functioning.
