Waterloo Man Sentenced to Over Seven Years in Federal Prison for Unlawfully Possessing Four Guns

An unlawful user of drugs who possessed four guns was sentenced today to more than seven years in federal prison.

Shamar Robertson, age 20, from Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison term after an August 18, 2022 guilty plea to one count of being an unlawful user of drugs in possession of firearms.

Information at the sentencing showed that, between April 2020 and February 2021, Robertson posted dozens of videos on social media showing him with what appeared to be guns and marijuana.  On February 26, 2021, law enforcement officers searched the home where Robertson lived in Waterloo.  During the search, the officers found four guns that had Robertson’s DNA on them.  The guns consisted of three handguns, two of which had partially obliterated serial numbers, and one semiautomatic rifle.  Three of the guns were loaded.  Officers also found a distribution quantity of marijuana in Robertson’s bedroom.

Robertson was charged in federal court and was scheduled to appear for a court hearing on April 13, 2022.  However, he did not appear for the hearing.  Robertson remained on the lam until he was arrested on June 21, 2022.  At the time of his arrest, Robertson was in a car with other individuals.  Officers found a gun in the car and Robertson was in possession of marijuana.  Because of his failure to appear and having his whereabouts unknown for over two months, the District Court found Robertson had obstructed justice, which increased his sentence.

Robertson was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge Linda Reade.  Robertson was sentenced to 87 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 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.

Robertson 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 Attorneys Lisa Williams and Anthony Morfitt and investigated by a Federal Task Force composed of the Waterloo Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives assisted by the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office and Cedar Falls Police Department. 

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

The case file number is 21-cr-2054.

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