Timothy T. Duax U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa
A former resident of Cedar Rapids, Shango Johnson, has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for identity theft. Johnson, 35, from Chicago, Illinois, received his sentence on June 27, 2025, following a guilty plea on March 24, 2025.
According to the plea agreement, Johnson admitted to obtaining a fraudulent check in November 2023. The check amounted to $9,634 and was falsely drawn from a Chicago law firm's account. This account had been closed in 2021 after its mail was stolen. Johnson deposited the check into his bank account in Cedar Rapids. The check misleadingly stated it was for Johnson's "personal injury final settlement payout," despite him not being entitled to any funds from the law firm's account. He then attempted to use these funds before the bank identified the check as fraudulent.
