Timothy T. Duax U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa
A Cedar Rapids man has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for distributing methamphetamine. John Robert Moro, 34, pleaded guilty on October 6, 2025, to one count of distribution of a controlled substance.
According to information presented at the sentencing hearing, Moro sold methamphetamine twice in March 2024 to an individual cooperating with law enforcement.
United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams handed down the sentence in Cedar Rapids. Moro received a term of 120 months’ imprisonment and will be required to serve five years of supervised release following his prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
"This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States."
The Kansas City branch of HSTF covers Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, and Nebraska. It includes personnel from several federal agencies such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), United States Marshals Service, United States Postal Inspection Service, state investigative agencies for Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, and local police departments.
Moro remains in custody with the United States Marshals until he is transferred to a federal prison.
Assistant United States Attorney Adam J. Vander Stoep prosecuted this case. The investigation was conducted by HSTF Kansas City with assistance from a DEA Task Force that included DEA agents as well as officers from Linn County Sheriff's Office, Cedar Rapids Police Department, Marion Police Department, and Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement.
