Cedar Rapids Man Pleads Guilty to 2011 Robbery After Start of Federal Trial

A man who robbed a Century cab on April 29, 2011, pled guilty today in federal court in Cedar Rapids.

Johnathan DeWayne Mitchell, age 44, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was convicted of one count of interference with commerce by robbery.

The guilty plea occurred during the opening stages of Mitchell’s jury trial after exhibits had been admitted and the jury was selected.  In the plea hearing, Mitchell admitted he robbed a Century cab on April 29, 2011, and took money and personal effects from the driver.  Evidence admitted at the trial, before the plea was entered, showed the cab driver died of multiple stab wounds she sustained during the robbery. 

Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Mitchell remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing.  Mitchell faces a possible maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, restitution to the victim’s family, and three years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Patrick Reinert and Dillan Edwards and was investigated by the Cedar Rapids Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation. 

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

The case file number is 16-CR-00029-LTS.

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