SIOUX CITY – A Fort Dodge drug dealer who conspired to distribute lethal fentanyl pled guilty this week in federal court in Sioux City.
Leslie Jo Fanning, age 36, from Fort Dodge, Iowa, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl.
At the plea hearing, Fanning admitted that between about 2021 and continuing to about June 2024, in the Webster County, Iowa, she and others reached an agreement or came to an understanding to distribute fentanyl. On three separate occasions in May of 2024, Fanning distributed blue pills marked “M-30” which contained fentanyl to an individual cooperating with law enforcement at her residence in Fort Dodge. Fanning admitted to distributing thousands of pills containing fentanyl over the course of the conspiracy.
Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Fanning (pictured at top) is in the custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. Fanning faces up to 20 years’ imprisonment, a $1,000,000 fine, and a term of supervised release following any imprisonment of three years up to life.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick T. Greenwood and was investigated by the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, the Webster County Sheriff’s Office, and the Fort Dodge Police Department.