Also Possessed Methamphetamine That He Planned to Distribute
A man who illegally possessed a handgun and methamphetamine pled guilty today in federal court in Cedar Rapids.
Shane LaGrange, age 36, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was convicted of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime.
At the plea hearing, LaGrange admitted that on Dec. 29, 2017, he possessed at least five grams of pure methamphetamine that he intended to distribute to others. He further admitted that he also possessed a gun in furtherance of the drug trafficking crime. Both the methamphetamine and the gun were found when defendant was arrested by officers from the Cedar Rapids Police Department.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Sentencing before United States District Court Judge CJ Williams will be set after a presentence report is prepared. LaGrange remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. LaGrange faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment, a $8,250,000.00 fine, and eight years of supervised release following any imprisonment.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Matthew J. Cole and investigated by the Cedar Rapids Safe Streets Task Force. The task force is composed of representatives from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Cedar Rapids Police Department.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 18-CR-00090.
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Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
