A Cedar Rapids man who distributed heroin and fentanyl that resulted in a young woman being hospitalized for a serious injury was sentenced on February 6, 2017, to more than 12 years in federal prison.
Shawn Albert, age 25, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after an October 5, 2016, guilty plea to one count of distribution of heroin and fentanyl.
During the sentencing hearing the court detailed Albert’s criminal conduct, in which Albert distributed a mixture of heroin and fentanyl to his then girlfriend, M.E., on Sept. 27, 2015. M.E. overdosed on the mixture and Albert failed to immediately seek medical assistance. Ultimately, M.E. was treated and hospitalized for her injuries, some of which may be permanent.
Albert was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge Linda R. Reade. Albert was sentenced to 151 months’ imprisonment. A special assessment of $100 was imposed, and he must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. Albert 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 Patrick J. Reinert and was investigated as part of the National Heroin Initiative and the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program of the United States Department of Justice through a cooperative effort of the Cedar Rapids Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Task Force consisting of the DEA; the Linn County Sheriff's Office; the Cedar Rapids Police Department; the Marion Police Department; the Iowa City Police Department; and the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 16-0053. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
