Wright Gets 8+ Years for Armed Robbery & DUI

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – Rickey Bernard Wright, 35, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is facing a long stretch behind bars after being sentenced to 104 months and 28 days in federal prison on November 29, 2021. The sentence stems from a brazen armed robbery in November 2019 and a subsequent drunken joyride that ended with a crash and the discovery of the stolen firearm.

According to court documents, Cedar Rapids police responded to a 911 call on November 17, 2019, reporting a robbery at gunpoint behind a local liquor store. The victim described Wright and his vehicle, providing crucial details that led to his identification. The victim was forced to flee, driving his car into the back of the liquor store to escape the situation. Wright didn’t get far.

Just a half-hour later, officers received a second 911 call – this time reporting reckless driving at a registered historical site. Upon arrival, they found Wright’s car wrecked through a fence. Wright, clearly intoxicated and unable to maintain his balance, was apprehended at the scene. And there, on the driver’s side floorboard, was the firearm matching the description given by the robbery victim.

Wright pleaded guilty on June 2, 2021, to one count of possession of a firearm by a felon. United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams handed down the 104-month sentence in Cedar Rapids, along with an order for Wright to pay $200 in restitution to the robbery victim. Following his prison term, Wright will be subject to a three-year term of supervised release. The federal system offers no parole.

This case was prosecuted under the umbrella of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a Department of Justice initiative focused on reducing violent crime. PSN brings together various stakeholders to pinpoint the most pressing violent crime issues in communities and implement targeted solutions. The program prioritizes the prosecution of the most dangerous offenders while also investing in local prevention and reentry programs.

Wright remains in the custody of the United States Marshal’s Service awaiting transport to a designated federal prison facility. The case was spearheaded by Assistant United States Attorney Kyndra Lundquist, working in conjunction with the Cedar Rapids Safe Streets Task Force, a collaborative effort between the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Cedar Rapids Police Department. Court file information can be found at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl; case file number 20-CR-044. Follow the US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa on Twitter: @USAO_NDIA.

RELATED: Yemen-Linked Man Gets 5+ Years for Terror Support

RELATED: Orange Co. NY Man Indicted for Threatening State Official & Judge