Matthew Groat, 42, from Fort Dodge, Iowa was sentenced on May 27, 2026, in federal court in Sioux City. In 2006 Groat was convicted in the same federal court for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and was sentenced to 200 months’ imprisonment.
On January 6, 2026, Groat pled guilty and admitted that from August 2025 through November 2025 he and others distributed over 2,200 grams of methamphetamine and at least 10 grams of cocaine to individuals in the Fort Dodge area. Groat also admitted that on two occasions in September 2025 he distributed about 10 grams of cocaine to individuals cooperating with law enforcement and on two other occasions in September 2025 and three times in October 2025, he distributed a total of more than 130 grams of pure methamphetamine. Groat further admitted to obtaining 5 to 10 pounds of methamphetamine from a local source during the four months of the conspiracy and selling it to people around Fort Dodge.
United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand sentenced Groat to 108 months’ imprisonment and a four-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. Groat remains in 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 and was investigated by Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, the Fort Dodge Police Department, Iowa State Patrol, Webster County Sheriff’s Office, and the Iowa DCI Criminalistics Laboratory.