Illinois Man Sentenced to over Seven Years in Prison for Illegally Possessing a Firearm

A man who illegally possessed a firearm was sentenced to over seven years in prison on April 17, 2023, in federal court in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Kayne Russell Donath, age 23, from East Dubuque, Illinois, was convicted of possession of a firearm by a felon.

At sentencing, the Court found that Donath received a ride from an individual in the community who was providing him a personal ride-sharing service.  During this service, Donath revealed his possession of a firearm.  After the individual was pulled over by law enforcement, officers discovered Donath had a warrant for his arrest.  The Court found that Donath pulled down the gear shifter and forced the individual to elude law enforcement.  Donath assaulted the individual with the firearm during the high-speed chase.  Officers recovered the firearm after it was discarded in a nearby alley.  The Court also found that Donath had previously committed assaults against law enforcement and another individual.

Sentencing was held before United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams.  Donath was sentenced to serve 90 months’ imprisonment and must serve a three‑year term of supervised release following his term of incarceration.  There is no parole in the federal system.  Donath remains in the custody of the United States Marshal until he can be transported to federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jason Dorval Norwood and was investigated by the City of Dubuque Police Department’s Drug Task Force 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 22-CR-1028.

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