Harpers Ferry Felon Sentenced To Twenty-One Months in Federal Prison for Unlawfully Possessing a Gun

A convicted felon who illegally possessed a gun was sentenced May 6, 2020, to twenty-one months in federal prison. 

Mitchell Kubik, age 32, from Harpers Ferry, Iowa, received the prison term after a guilty plea to illegally possessing a firearm as a felon.  Statements at sentencing showed that Kubik kept a loaded, uncased rifle on a chair in the family room of a home he shared with three minor children.  At the time, Kubik had a prior felony conviction for forgery.            

Kubik was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams.  Kubik was sentenced to twenty-one 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.

This case is also part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities.  For more information about Project Guardian, please see /media/1122011/download?inline.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jacob Schunk and investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.    

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

The case file number is 19-CR-1040-CJW.

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