A man who illegally possessed a firearm was sentenced on May 8, 2023, in federal court in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Lavell Andre Barnes, Jr., age 27, from Iowa City, Iowa, was convicted of possession of a firearm by a felon.
At the sentencing, information showed that Barnes traveled from Chicago with a firearm, illegal controlled substances, and a large amount of United States Currency with children in the vehicle. Barnes admitted that he illegally possessed a firearm after being previously convicted of two felony convictions in Cook County, Illinois. Barnes was also previously convicted of a controlled substance offense involving heroin.
Sentencing was held before United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams. Barnes was sentenced to serve 46 months’ imprisonment and must serve a three‑year term of supervised release following his term of incarceration. There is no parole in the federal system. Barnes remains in the custody of the United States Marshal until he is transported to federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jason Dorval Norwood and was investigated by the Iowa City Police Department’s Street Crimes Action Team.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 22-CR-84.
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Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys