Man Who Possessed Firearm Two Days After Committing Manslaughter Sentenced to Federal Prison

A man who fled from a traffic stop and possessed a firearm two days after shooting a female victim in the face was sentenced today to more than eight years in federal prison.

Larenzo Burnett, age 22, from Battle Creek, Michigan, received the prison term after a January 5, 2022 guilty plea to being a felon and drug user in possession of a firearm.

At the guilty plea, Burnett admitted that on December 24, 2020, he possessed a Taurus 9mm pistol.  He was prohibited due to being an unlawful user of marijuana and because he was previously convicted of intimidation with a dangerous weapon in 2020.  At sentencing, evidence showed that Burnett also attempted to obstruct justice by attempting to influence a witness.

Burnett was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams.  Burnett was sentenced to 99 months’ imprisonment and fourteen days and fined $100.  He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.  Burnett 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 Liz Dupuich and investigated by the Cedar Rapids Safe Streets Task Force.  The task force is composed of representatives from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Cedar Rapids Police Department. 

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

The case file number is 21-cr-57.

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