felon and marijuana user convicted for having shot
Contact: Peter Deegan
A felon and marijuana user who pointed a shotgun at people he was arguing with pled guilty to a gun charge today in federal court in Cedar Rapids.
Jacob Mack, 20, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was convicted of one count of being a felon and illegal drug user in possession of a firearm.
Mack was convicted of Theft in the Second Degree in Linn County District Court in June 2010 and was an unlawful user of marijuana on August 18, 2010. That night, he was driving his mother’s car in Cedar Rapids and pointed a 20 gauge shotgun at occupants of another car after he had an argument with them. Police were called, and his mother’s car was found nearby. The loaded shotgun was found on the back seat with three additional rounds of ammunition under the seat. A small amount of marijuana and a marijuana pipe were also found in the car.
Under federal law, it is illegal for an unlawful drug user to possess a gun or ammunition. There is no such prohibition under Iowa law.
Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Linda R. Reade will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Mack remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. Mack faces a possible maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment without the possibility of parole; a fine of up to $250,000; a mandatory special assessment of $100; and a term of supervised release of up to 3 years.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Bob Teig as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a cooperative local, state, and federal program aimed at the enhanced prosecution of gun crimes. The case was investigated by the Cedar Rapids Police Department.
Court file information is available at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is CR 10-120.
