Cedar Rapids Man Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Possessing Mechanically Shortened Weapon

A Cedar Rapids man was sentenced July 12, 2021, to two years in federal prison for possessing a mechanically shortened weapon.   

Philip Maccani, age 50, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after a guilty plea to possessing an unregistered National Firearms Act firearm, specifically a weapon made from a shotgun with an overall length of less than 26 inches.  Evidence at sentencing demonstrated that the stock had been altered to shorten the weapon’s overall length. 

The judge noted that weapons like the one Maccani possessed were more dangerous than other weapons because they are both easier to conceal and more difficult to aim and control.  The judge also noted the bravery of one of the deputies from the Linn County Sheriff’s Office, who tried to de-escalate a dangerous situation by giving his rifle to another officer before approaching Maccani without knowing whether Maccani was then armed.   

Maccani was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams.  Maccani was sentenced to 24 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.  Maccani 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).  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.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jake Schunk and 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 20-CR-00090-CJW-MAR.

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