February 5, 2015

Cedar Rapids Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of a Firearm

A man who was carrying a stolen firearm in a car pled guilty today in federal court in Cedar Rapids.

Michael Hicks, age 25, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was convicted of one count of being an unlawful drug user in possession of a firearm.

At the plea hearing, Hicks admitted that in January 2010, at a time when he was an unlawful user of marijuana, he possessed a stolen handgun. Hicks was a passenger in a car pulled over by police officers during a traffic stop in Benton County, Iowa. During the traffic stop the sheriff’s deputy discovered a handgun in defendant’s possession.

Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Linda R. Reade will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Hicks remains free on bond pending sentencing. Hicks faces a possible maximum sentence of ten years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, $100 in special assessments, and up to three years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney C.J. Williams and was investigated by the FBI, the Benton County Sheriff’s Office, and the Cedar Rapids Police Department. The investigation and prosecution is part of the ongoing operation of the FBI Safe Streets Task Force based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.