CORALVILLE MAN SENTENCED ON FEDERAL GUN CHARGES AFTER BREAKING INTO HOMES EVACUATED DURING 2008 FLOOD
DAVENPORT, IA - On May 27, 2009, Daniel Ross Vieth, age 27, formerly of Coralville, Iowa was sentenced by United States District Court Judge John A. Jarvey to 200 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession of stolen firearms and possession of a firearm as a felon, announced United States Attorney Matthew G. Whitaker. Vieth was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release after his imprisonment, and pay an assessment of $200 to the Crime Victim Fund.
There is no parole in the federal system and defendants serve approximately 85% of their sentence when they successfully earn good conduct time that can be factored into their incarceration.
In July 2008, several residents in the Edgewater Drive area of Coralville reported returning to their homes after mandatory flood evacuation and finding their homes had been burglarized. The residents reported numerous stolen items, including a substantial number of firearms. On July 15, 2008, Michael Garr, Daniel Vieth and Benjamin Willett were arrested in Coralville after Garr sold one of the stolen firearms to an undercover officer. Pursuant to a search warrant, officers recovered numerous stolen items and seventeen firearms. Garr and Willett have pled guilty and are awaiting sentencing.
This case was prosecuted in the United States Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Iowa. This investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the Coralville Police Department, the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, the Iowa City Police Department and the Johnson County Attorney’s Office.