A man who tried to enter a city council meeting armed with a gun was convicted by a jury on August 11, 2026, after a one-day trial in federal court in Cedar Rapids.
Austin Andrew Goodman, age 42, from Dubuque, Iowa, was convicted of possessing a firearm while prohibited after he had been committed to a mental institution.
The evidence at trial showed Goodman entered a building in Dubuque, Iowa, on March 3, 3025, while wearing a suit, an American flag on his shoulders, tape over his mouth, and a loaded firearm on his hip. Goodman had his two dogs on leashes when he entered the building and attempted to enter the city council chambers where a meeting was occurring. Goodman was live streaming his entry into the building on Facebook.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Goodman remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. Goodman faces a possible maximum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and 3 years of supervised release following any imprisonment.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Emily K. Nydle and was investigated by the Dubuque Police Department, the Dubuque Sheriff’s Department, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl .
The case file number is 25-cr-1039.
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Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office — Northern District of Iowa — U.S. Department of Justice press release.