Convicted Felon Who Used a Shotgun to Steal Money Outside a Casino Sentenced to Eight Years in Federal Prison

A man who illegally possessed a shotgun that he used to steal money was sentenced on February 13, 2019, to eight years in federal prison.

Harold Amos, age 40, from Coos Bay, Oregon, received the prison term after an August 9, 2018 guilty plea to being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm and ammunition.

In March 2018, Amos was at the Meskwaki Bingo Casino Hotel in Tama, Iowa.  Video cameras captured him becoming very angry while in a discussion with other individuals.  Amos left the casino and went to his car.  One of the other individuals also went outside.  Amos then got a shotgun from the car and pointed it at the other individual.  While armed with the shotgun, Amos stole cash from this individual.  Police later located Amos driving this same car and recovered the shotgun in the truck.  The shotgun was loaded. 

Amos had previously been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence and a felony for manufacturing methamphetamine. 

Amos was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge Linda R. Reade.  Amos was sentenced to 96 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.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).  PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

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

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lisa C. Williams and investigated by the Meskwaki Nation 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 18-CR-0025.

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