Hawarden, Iowa — A Hawarden man convicted for being a felon in possession of a firearm has been sentenced to over five years in prison.
United States Attorney Ron Parsons says that 28-year-old Austin Joseph Gengler of Hawarden was sentenced this week by U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier to 67 months in custody. The sentence is to run concurrently to a state sentence he is currently serving, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Gengler had been indicted for Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person by a federal grand jury on October 10, 2018. He pled guilty on December 10, 2018.
Law enforcement arrested Gengler on May 8, 2018, for absconding parole. His vehicle was searched and a .410 gauge shotgun was located. Gengler is prohibited from possessing firearms because he is a convicted felon.
The U.S. Attorney’s office says that the case was investigated by the Sioux Falls Area Fugitive Task Force, the Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Tamara Nash prosecuted the case.
Gengler was returned to the Mike Durfee State Prison in Springfield, South Dakota, to finish his state sentence. He will then be taken to a federal institution to serve his federal sentence.
