Possessed the Gun in Furtherance of Drug Sales
A man who possessed a stolen gun, while also in the possession of marijuana and cocaine that he intended to sell, was sentenced today to more than six years in federal prison.
Abraham Johnson, Jr., age 27, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after a Jan. 2, 2018, guilty plea to possession of a firearm as a felon and drug user and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a felony drug trafficking crime.
In a plea agreement, Johnson admitted that, during a traffic stop in December 2016, police found marijuana, cocaine, and a revolver in Johnson’s backpack. Johnson admitted that he knew the revolver was stolen. Johnson acknowledged that he was going to sell the marijuana and cocaine, and that he carried the revolver to protect the drugs. Johnson also admitted that he has a prior felony conviction for willful injury resulting in bodily injury, and that he was an unlawful user of marijuana.
Johnson was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by Chief United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand. Johnson was sentenced to 75 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a 2-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), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority. In October 2017, as part of a series of actions to address this crime trend, Attorney General Sessions announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop a district crime reduction strategy that incorporates the lessons learned since PSN launched in 2001.
Johnson 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 Justin Lightfoot and investigated by 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; 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 17-CR-93.
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Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
