Mason City man sent to prison on federal illegal possession of firearm charge

SIOUX CITY — It’s over six years in federal prison for a Mason City man who pleaded guilty to illegally possessing a firearm.

41-year-old Jason Keys in June pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.

The US Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa’s office says evidence in the case showed that Keys was identified as a person distributing methamphetamine in January 2023, with law enforcement utilizing a confidential source to conduct a controlled purchase of meth, but Keys had no meth to sell.

The following day, Keys contacted the confidential source and advised he had a revolver for sale. Law enforcement utilized the source to conduct a controlled buy of the firearm from Keys. Keys has a lengthy criminal history and was previously convicted of numerous burglaries and thefts as well as multiple convictions for domestic abuse assault and controlled substance offenses.

Keys was sentenced on Friday by US District Judge Leonard Strand to 78 months in prison to be followed by a three-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.