Fort Dodge Man Pleads Guilty in Federal Meth, Cocaine Distribution Conspiracy
A Fort Dodge man has admitted his role in a drug-trafficking conspiracy involving methamphetamine and cocaine.
Matthew Groat, 41, pleaded guilty Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, in federal court in Sioux City to participating in a conspiracy to distribute the drugs.
According to court documents, Groat admitted that from August through November 2025 he and others distributed more than 2,200 grams of methamphetamine and at least 10 grams of cocaine in the Fort Dodge area. He also acknowledged making multiple sales to individuals cooperating with law enforcement, including about 10 grams of cocaine on two occasions in September 2025 and more than 130 grams of pure methamphetamine over five separate transactions in September and October 2025.
Groat further admitted he obtained an estimated 5 to 10 pounds of methamphetamine from a local source during the four-month conspiracy and resold it to people in and around Fort Dodge.
Sentencing will be scheduled after a presentence investigation report is completed. Groat remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service while awaiting sentencing.
He faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in federal prison, with a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment, a $10 million fine and at least five years of supervised release.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and was investigated by the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Fort Dodge Police Department, Iowa State Patrol, Webster County Sheriff’s Office and the Iowa DCI Criminalistics Laboratory.
