Cedar Rapids Man Sentenced to Over Four Years in Prison After Illegally Obtaining a Firearm

A Cedar Rapids man who received a firearm while under felony indictment was sentenced October 4, 2018, to more than four years in federal prison.

Michael Lee Valentine, age 21, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after an April 23, 2018, guilty plea to illegal receipt of a firearm by a person under felony indictment.

At the guilty plea, Valentine admitted he received a firearm, specifically a Glock Model .23 .40 caliber pistol, while under indictment for felony offenses: going armed with intent and assault while displaying a dangerous weapon. 

Valentine was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge Linda R. Reade.  Valentine was sentenced to 55 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.  Valentine is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.   Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority.   In October 2017, as part of a series of actions to address this crime trend, Attorney General Sessions announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop a district crime reduction strategy that incorporates the lessons learned since PSN launched in 2001.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ravi T. Narayan and investigated by the Cedar Rapids Safe Streets Task Force.  The task force is composed of representatives from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, United States Marshal Service, and the Cedar Rapids Police Department. 

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

The case file number is 16-cr-0066.

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