Timothy T. Duax U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa
A Cedar Rapids man, Kirby Joe Truesdell, age 48, has been sentenced to seven and a half years in federal prison after being found guilty of possessing a firearm as a prohibited person. The sentencing took place on January 26, 2026, following a jury verdict at the federal court in Cedar Rapids.
According to evidence presented during the two-day trial, police encountered Truesdell on November 25, 2024, at an unoccupied home in Cedar Rapids. Officers observed him exiting a detached garage and took him into custody after he failed to cooperate. A loaded revolver was discovered inside a backpack that was in his possession. Truesdell had previously been convicted of five felony offenses—including operating while intoxicated (third offense), burglary, theft, and forgery—as well as assault causing bodily injury with enhanced penalties for domestic abuse.
United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams sentenced Truesdell to 90 months’ imprisonment and ordered a three-year term of supervised release upon completion of his sentence. Federal law does not allow parole.
The case is part of Operation Take Back America, an initiative by the Department of Justice aimed at addressing illegal immigration, eliminating cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protecting communities from violent crime.
Additionally, this prosecution falls under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which brings together law enforcement agencies and community members to reduce violent crime and gun violence. The Department of Justice updated its violent crime reduction strategy for PSN on May 26, 2021, focusing on building trust within communities, supporting violence prevention organizations, setting strategic enforcement priorities, and evaluating outcomes.
Assistant United States Attorney Emily Nydle and Special Assistant United States Attorney Michael Hudson prosecuted the case. The investigation involved the Cedar Rapids Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), Linn County Sheriff’s Department, US Marshal Service, and Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation.
