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Press Release

Cedar Rapids Man Charged with Being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Iowa

Anthony Rush, age 31, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has been charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm.  The charge is contained in an Indictment unsealed on August 14, 2020, in United States District Court in Cedar Rapids.  

The Indictment alleges that, in May 2020, Rush possessed a pistol after having been convicted of attempted burglary in the second degree in Linn County in 2012.

If convicted, Rush faces a possible maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and 3 years on supervised release following any imprisonment.

Rush appeared on August 14, 2020, in federal court in Cedar Rapids and was released on bond.  Rush’s next appearance for trial is set for October 13, 2020.

As with any criminal case, a charge is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

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.

This case is also part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws.  Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities.  For more information about Project Guardian, please see /media/1122011/dl?inline.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark Tremmel and is being investigated by the Cedar Rapids Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Court file information is available at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.  The case file number is CR 20-62.

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Updated August 20, 2020

Topics
Project Guardian
Project Safe Neighborhoods
Firearms Offenses