Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Illegal Possession of a Firearm after High-Speed Chase with Law Enforcement

A man who fled from law enforcement with a loaded firearm in his vehicle was sentenced today to more than 8 years in federal prison.

Jacques Eugene Robinson, age 50, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after a March 8, 2023 guilty plea to one count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.  Robinson was previously convicted of Murder in the Second Degree in the Iowa District Court for Scott County on June 11, 1990.

Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings showed that, on March 25, 2022, law enforcement stopped Robinson as he was driving.  Before the traffic stop ended, Robinson sped away.  During the following car chase, Robinson reached a speed of 107 miles per hour, and he ran two red lights.  Officers were eventually able to stop Robinson’s vehicle and take him into custody.  Robinson’s blood alcohol concentration was determined to be .128%.  Officers located a loaded handgun inside the vehicle Robinson had been driving.  Robinson later told officers that he carried a firearm daily.

Robinson was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams.  Robinson was sentenced to 100 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.  Robinson is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Liz Dupuich and investigated by the Cedar Rapids Police Department and 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-60.

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