United States of America v. Braleigh Schossow

Cedar Rapids, IA criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with conspiring to distribute fentanyl.

Fort Dodge Repeat Offender Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl Distribution

Braleigh Schossow, 24, from Fort Dodge, Iowa, pled guilty on February 11, 2025, in federal court in Sioux City to conspiring to distribute fentanyl.



At the plea hearing, evidence showed that between December 2020 and February 2024, Schossow and others involved in the conspiracy, distributed at least 22 pounds of fentanyl in Fort Dodge, Iowa, and elsewhere.



Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Schossow remains in the custody of United States Marshals Service pending sentencing. Schossow faces a mandatory minimum term of 10 years' imprisonment and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, a $10,000,000 fine, and at least five years of supervised release following any imprisonment.



The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick T. Greenwood and investigated by the Tri-State Drug Task Force based in Sioux City, Iowa, that consists of law enforcement personnel from the Drug Enforcement Administration; Sioux City, Iowa, Police Department; Homeland Security Investigations; Woodbury County Sheriff's Office; South Sioux City, Nebraska, Police Department; Nebraska State Patrol; Iowa National Guard; Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; United States Marshals Service; South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation; and Woodbury County Attorney's Office. This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.