SIOUX CITY — A Fort Dodge man previously convicted in federal court for methamphetamine trafficking has been sentenced to nine more years in prison after admitting he joined a new meth and cocaine conspiracy in the Fort Dodge area.
Matthew Groat, 42, of Fort Dodge, was sentenced May 27, 2026, in federal court in Sioux City to 108 months in prison. He must also serve four years of supervised release after his prison term.
There is no parole in the federal system.
Federal prosecutors said Groat pleaded guilty on Jan. 6, 2026, and admitted that from August 2025 through November 2025, he and others distributed more than 2,200 grams of methamphetamine and at least 10 grams of cocaine to people in the Fort Dodge area.
Groat also admitted that on two occasions in September 2025, he distributed about 10 grams of cocaine to people cooperating with law enforcement.
Prosecutors said Groat further admitted that on two other occasions in September 2025, and three more times in October 2025, he distributed a total of more than 130 grams of pure methamphetamine.
According to federal authorities, Groat obtained between 5 and 10 pounds of methamphetamine from a local source during the four-month conspiracy and sold it to people around Fort Dodge.
The case marks another federal drug conviction for Groat. In 2006, he was convicted in the same federal court of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. He was sentenced at that time to 200 months in prison.
United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand imposed the latest sentence. Groat remains in the custody of the United States Marshal until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde.
The investigation was handled by the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Fort Dodge Police Department, Iowa State Patrol, Webster County Sheriff’s Office and Iowa DCI Criminalistics Laboratory.