Manly, Iowa, Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Drug User

A man who possessed a firearm as un unlawful drug user pled guilty June 3, 2024, in federal court in Sioux City.

Cory Allen More, age 33, from Manly, Iowa, was convicted of one count of possession of a firearm by a drug user.

In a plea agreement, More admitted that on October 23, 2023, his vehicle ran out of gas in Clear Lake, Iowa.  A Clear Lake police officer saw More pull his vehicle over to the side of the road.  The officer made contact with More while he was outside of his vehicle near the engine bay where he had just opened the hood.  At that time, the officer observed 2 marijuana baggies with a green leafy substance on the ground between More’s feet and the officer’s feet.  The officer seized the two baggies which were found to contain marijuana.  More also had a handgun in a holster on his belt in plain view of the officer.  On October 27, 2023, law enforcement executed a search warrant at More’s residence in Manly, Iowa and seized marijuana, scales, drug paraphernalia, and an additional 16 firearms and ammunition.   

Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  More remains free on bond previously set.  More faces a potential mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and 5 years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

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.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin C. Fletcher and was investigated by the Clear Lake Police Department, Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Office, Manly Police Department, Worth County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Iowa State Patrol, Cerro Gordo County Attorney’s Office, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, and United States Marshal’s Service. 

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

The case file number is 24-CR-03006.

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