A drug dealer who sold heroin in Dubuque, Iowa, was sentenced today to 38 months in federal prison. 

John Andrew Pruitt, age 39, of Pueblo West, Colorado, received the prison sentence after a March 30, 2023 guilty plea to one count of distribution of a controlled substance.

Evidence at the sentencing hearing established that Pruitt supplied heroin users in the Dubuque area with controlled substances from at least 2017 until 2022.  In March 2020, Pruitt supplied an individual with purported heroin, and that individual subsequently overdosed.  Despite learning about this overdose, Pruitt nonetheless continued to sell drugs in the Dubuque area.

Pruitt was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams.  He was sentenced to 38 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

Pruitt is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Nicole L. Nagin and Assistant United States Attorney Jason D. Norwood and investigated by the Dubuque Drug Task Force as part of the Northern Iowa Heroin Initiative.

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 22-CR-1030.

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