Carroll Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Possession of a Firearm by a Felon

A Carroll, Iowa man who possessed a gun after a previous attempted burglary conviction in 2019, was sentenced January 19, 2021, to more than 2 years in federal prison.

Buomkuoth Lol, age 19, from Carroll, Iowa, received the prison term after an August 24, 2020, guilty plea to possession of a firearm by a felon.

At the guilty plea, Lol admitted on May 8, 2020 he possessed a gun and .40 caliber ammunition.  Lol admitted to knowing he was prohibited from possessing guns after being convicted of attempted burglary in Buena Vista County on November 5, 2019.  

Lol was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Lol was sentenced to 27 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.

This case is also part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. For more information about Project Guardian, please see /media/1122011/download?inline.

Lol 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 Ron Timmons and investigated by the Spirit Lake 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 20-4052.

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