Dubuque Man Charged with Being a Prohibited Person in Possession of a Firearm

Tobias Sarazin, age 34, of Dubuque, Iowa, has been charged with being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm.  The charge is contained in an Indictment unsealed on February 25, 2020, in United States District Court in Cedar Rapids. 

The Indictment alleges that, in December 2019, Sarazin possessed a pistol while being a prohibited person.  The Indictment alleges that Sarazin previously had been convicted of three crimes of domestic violence, that he was subject to a no contact order, and that he was an unlawful user of marijuana and methamphetamine.

If convicted, Sarazin faces a possible maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and 3 years on supervised release following any imprisonment. 

Sarazin appeared today in federal court in Cedar Rapids and was held without bond.  Sarazin’s next appearance for trial is set for April 27, 2020.

As with any criminal case, a charge is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

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.

This case is also part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws.  Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities.  For more information about Project Guardian, please see /media/1122011/dl?inline.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark Tremmel and is being investigated by the Dubuque Police Department, the Dubuque County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

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

The case file number is CR 20-1005.

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