Cedar Rapids Meth Dealer Sentenced to Federal Prison

A Cedar Rapids man who worked with others to distribute over four pounds of methamphetamine was sentenced December 13, 2022, to more than 14 years in federal prison.

Mathew Shepherd, age 37, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after a May 31, 2022, guilty plea to one count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.

Information disclosed at sentencing showed that, in May 2020, Shepherd was paroled from state custody related to a 2018 state conviction for possession with intent to deliver methamphetamine.  Almost immediately after he was paroled, Shepherd began working with others to distribute methamphetamine in the Cedar Rapids, Iowa, area.  On September 11, 2020, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Shepherd’s residence and recovered over 62 grams of methamphetamine, $273 in cash, a digital scale, and a drug ledger.  Law enforcement also executed a search warrant on Shepherd’s cell phone, which revealed numerous messages related to Shepherd’s distribution of methamphetamine.  At the time of sentencing, Shepherd had been convicted 29 times as an adult, including two arson convictions and several assault‑related convictions.

Shepherd was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams.  Shepherd was sentenced to 176 months’ imprisonment, and he must also serve a 5‑year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system. 

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

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dillan Edwards and investigated by the Sixth Judicial District Department of Correctional Services. 

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

The case file number is 21-CR-00030.

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