Felon who Possessed Drugs for Distribution and a Firearm Sentenced to Five Years in Federal Prison

A Chicago man who possessed and distributed controlled substances and also possessed a firearm as a felon was sentenced today to five years in federal prison.

Ra-Melle Lewis Williams, age 53, from Chicago, Illinois, received the prison term after a December 23, 2024 guilty plea to Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance. 

Williams had a prior conviction for attempted murder and aggravated battery with a firearm.  In April 2023, when law enforcement executed a search warrant at his residence, they located methamphetamine, cocaine and fentanyl, along with a firearm.

Williams was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Williams was sentenced to 60 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a five-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

Williams 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 Nicole L. Nagin, and it was investigated by the Floyd County Sheriff’s Office, the Iowa Department of Public Safety, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

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.

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

The case file number is 24-CR- 02028.

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