SIOUX CITY – A convicted Northern Iowa felon who hid a 9mm handgun, ammo and a bag of needles in a floor vent from suspicious cops faces a long prison sentence.
Andrea Crystal Lee, 35, from Emmetsburg, Iowa, was convicted of being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm. Lee had previously been convicted of felony possession of a controlled substance – 3rd or subsequent offense on April 30, 2021. Lee was on state probation for that offense when she committed the federal firearms offense.
At the plea hearing, evidence showed that on January 24, 2023, a state probation officer located drug-use paraphernalia at Lee’s home in Emmetsburg, Iowa, during a probation check. Lee was given a urinalysis test which returned positive indicating recent methamphetamine use. The same day, a search of Lee’s home was conducted pursuant to a search warrant. Law enforcement found a 9mm handgun concealed in a floor vent, 9mm ammunition in two magazines, and a bag of needles. As a drug user and felon, Lee was prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition.
Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Lee remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. Lee faces a possible maximum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and not more than three years of supervised release following any imprisonment.
violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick T. Greenwood and was investigated by the Palo Alto County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
