Cedar Rapids Man Convicted of November 2020 Armed Robbery Spree

A seven-time convicted felon who robbed or attempted to rob employees of Cedar Rapids businesses at gunpoint seven times in a twelve-day period in November 2020 was convicted by a jury on June 6, 2023, after a four-day trial in federal court in Cedar Rapids.

Cardel Demetrius Redmond, age 28, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was convicted of six counts of interference with commerce by robbery, six counts of using and possessing a firearm during and in furtherance of those robberies, one count of attempt to interfere with commerce by robbery, and one count of possession of a firearm by a felon.  The verdict was returned yesterday afternoon following about six hours of jury deliberations.

The evidence at trial showed that on November 17, 2020, Redmond robbed the Subway restaurant on Gateway Place SW in Cedar Rapids by displaying a firearm to the employees and demanding the cash from the register.  On November 19, 2020, Redmond robbed a cashier at gunpoint in the Wine and Spirits area of the Hy-Vee grocery store on Oakland Road NE in Cedar Rapids.  On November 25, 2020, Redmond robbed the Perkins Restaurant & Bakery on Southgate Court SW in Cedar Rapids by pointing a firearm at one of the employees of the business.  On the night of November 27, 2020, Redmond used a firearm to rob an employee at the Hy-Vee grocery store on Mount Vernon Road SE in Cedar Rapids.  Minutes later, Redmond robbed two employees at gunpoint at the Little Caesar’s Pizza on Mount Vernon Road SE.  Less than twenty-four hours later, on November 28, 2020, Redmond attempted to rob two employees at the Hy-Vee Drugstore on 6^th Street SW by brandishing a firearm.  One of the employees told him there was a police officer in an unmarked car in the parking lot, and Redmond fled.  The following night, November 29, 2020, Redmond robbed the same Subway restaurant on Gateway Place SW by pointing a firearm at an employee.  Redmond was arrested on burglary charges later that night. 

Sentencing before United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Redmond will remain in the custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing.  Redmond faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 42 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment, a $ 3,500,000 fine, and not more than 5 years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kyndra Lundquist and Tony Morfitt and was investigated by the Cedar Rapids Police Department and assisted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. 

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

The case file number is 22-CR-0085.

Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.