A man who unlawfully possessed a stolen gun was sentenced on June 23, 2026, to eight years in federal prison.

Dalton Lee Hagen, age 28, from Cresco, Iowa, received the prison term after an October 6, 2025, guilty plea to possession of a firearm by a felon.

Information at the sentencing hearing showed that in January 2025, law enforcement officers were investigating a burglary. Officers learned that Hagen was involved and searched his home. In the basement of Hagen's home, officers found a gun. Prior to January 2025, Hagen had broken into a car outside a local Cresco business and stole the gun. Hagen is prohibited from possessing firearms because of multiple prior felony convictions.

Hagen was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand. Hagen was sentenced to 96 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 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.

Hagen is being held in the United States Marshal's custody until he can be transported to a federal prison. The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Michael S.A. Hudson and investigated by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, the Cresco Police Department, the Winneshiek County Sheriff's Office, Howard County Sherriff's Office, and the Iowa State Patrol. Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.plLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link..

The case file number is 25-CR-02053.