A man who possessed a gun while unlawfully using two drugs was sentenced Jan. 27, 2020, to more than one year in federal prison.
Daniel Yaeshur Rhone, age 25, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after a Sept. 24, 2019 guilty plea to possession of a firearm by an unlawful user of controlled substances.
Evidence at a prior hearing in this case showed that Dubuque police officers received information that Rhone had a gun and was using ecstasy. Officers obtained a search warrant while Rhone was visiting family in Dubuque, searched a residence, and recovered a gun belonging to Rhone. Rhone later tested positive for amphetamines and marijuana.
Rhone was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams. Rhone was sentenced to twelve months’ and one-day imprisonment. He must also serve a three-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). 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.
This case is also part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. For more information about Project Guardian, please see https://www.justice.gov/ag/page/file/1217186/download.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kyndra Lundquist and investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Dubuque Police Department.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 19-CR-1029.
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Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
