Cedar Rapids Drug Felon Sentenced to Almost 22 Years’ Imprisonment on Convictions for Unlawful Possession of Ammunition and Possession of Crack Cocaine with Intent to Distribute

A Cedar Rapids man with two prior drug trafficking convictions under different names was sentenced today to almost 22 years in federal prison.

Gregory Givens, age 29, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after a May 21, 2013 jury verdict finding him guilty of one count of possession of ammunition by a felon and one count of possession of crack cocaine with the intent to distribute.

The evidence at trial showed that on October 7, 2010, Givens was stopped by a Cedar Rapids Police officer for a traffic violation. When conducting the traffic stop, officers smelled and then recovered a large quantity of marijuana and a box of 9mm ammunition from inside the car. Givens provided the police officer a false name and identification and lied about his criminal history. Later investigation showed Givens had twice been convicted in 2002 in Cook County, Illinois, under two different names, of felony possession of cocaine with intent to deliver.

The evidence also showed that on December 22, 2010, Cedar Rapids police officers executed a search warrant at an apartment where Givens was staying. As officers entered a bedroom, they found Givens with his hand in between the mattress and the headboard of the only bed in the room. During the search of the bedroom, officers found a large quantity of marijuana inside the mattress where Givens had his hand and crack cocaine on the floor where Givens was standing. Givens again provided a different false name to officers when he was arrested. Givens’ identity on all of his convictions and arrests was confirmed through fingerprint analysis.

Givens previously pled guilty to possession of marijuana with intent to deliver in Iowa District Court for the marijuana found on October 7 and December 22, 2010.

During his trial, Givens refused to acknowledge the jurisdiction of the United States District Court, refused to participate in his trial, and refused to be in the courtroom. At sentencing, Givens was removed from the courtroom for being disruptive.

Givens was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge Linda R. Reade. Givens was sentenced to 262 months’ imprisonment. A special assessment of $200 was imposed. He must also serve a six-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

Givens is being held in the United States Marshals Service's custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a cooperative local, state, and federal program aimed at the enhanced prosecution of gun crimes. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel C. Tvedt and investigated by the Cedar Rapids Police Department; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.