Cedar Rapids Man Sentenced to Federal Prison After Pleading Guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Felon

Robert Shawn Griffin, age 26, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was sentenced on May 22, 2025, in federal court in Cedar Rapids after previously pleading guilty to possession of a firearm by a felon.    

In a plea agreement, Griffin admitted that he was previously convicted of multiple felony offenses.  Information at the sentencing hearing showed that Griffin committed several firearm-related offenses in 2024.  In February 2024, in Cedar Rapids, Griffin fired a firearm at a residential house.  In March 2024, at a storage facility in Cedar Rapids, Griffin pointed a firearm at another individual and pulled the trigger though the firearm did not discharge.  In April 2024, in rural Center Point, Iowa, Griffin possessed a firearm while trying to steal an ATV.  

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

Griffin was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Griffin was sentenced to 64 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.  

Griffin is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison. 

The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Jared Manternach and was investigated by the Linn County Sheriff’s Office.

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

The case file number is 24-CR-56.

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