Cedar Rapids Felon Who Tried to Rob Group at Gunpoint Found Guilty after Bench Trial

A federal judge found a convicted felon who tried to rob a group of people at gunpoint guilty on May 16, 2019, after a bench trial. 

Carl Anthony McArthur, age 40, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was found guilty after a May 14, 2019 bench trial.  The judge found McArthur guilty of possessing a firearm as a felon and person convicted of a crime of domestic violence. 

Evidence at trial showed that on March 17, 2018, McArthur and another individual went into a home on 20^th Avenue in Cedar Rapids.  In the home, they held at least four people at gunpoint while demanding money.  Someone in the group called 9-1-1 and police responded a short time later.  McArthur and the other individual hid the guns as officers came into the home.  The other individual was able to get away from police and run.  Officers found the two loaded guns underneath clothes and a blanket.  Officers also found two baggies of methamphetamine in McArthur’s pockets.  McArthur admitted he had been at the house earlier in the day to get methamphetamine.  McArthur was prohibited from possessing firearms based on a 2003 domestic violence conviction and a 2009 conviction for unlawfully possessing a gun.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).  PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

McArthur is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be sentenced.  A sentencing date has not yet been set. 

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Ashley Corkery and Pat Reinert and investigated by the Cedar Rapids Safe Streets Task Force.  The task force is composed of representatives from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Cedar Rapids Police Department.  

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 18-CR-0102.

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