September 22, 2014

Cedar Rapids Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of a Firearm as a Felon

A man who pawned a handgun stolen during a burglary pled guilty today in federal court in Cedar Rapids.

Tanner Williams, age 25, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was convicted of one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

In a plea agreement, Williams admitted that on April 7, 2014, he was convicted of the felony offense of Theft 2nd Degree in the Iowa District Court for Linn County. Then, on May 18, 2014, a Cedar Rapids home was burglarized. Among the items stolen during the burglary was a .22 caliber handgun. On May 20, 2014, Williams pawned the handgun at Marion Guns and Gold. At the plea hearing, the United States asserted that the evidence at sentencing will show Williams had committed the burglary and notified Williams that it would be seeking a sentencing enhancement based on that conduct.

Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Linda R. Reade will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Williams remains in custody of the United States Marshal and will remain in custody pending sentencing. Williams faces a possible maximum sentence of ten years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, $100 in special assessments, and three years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney C.J. Williams and was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Safe Streets Task Force and the Cedar Rapids Police Department.

Court file information is available at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is 14-CR-0071.