Richard Allen Roberts, 39, Pleads Guilty in Iowa Federal Court
Richard Allen Roberts, a 39-year-old man from Chicago, Illinois, has pleaded guilty to distributing crack near a playground and being a felon in possession of a firearm. The charges stem from a high-speed chase that took place in Dubuque, Iowa, on February 5, 2021.
According to court documents, Roberts sold approximately half a gram of crack cocaine to a confidential informant near Jefferson Park in Dubuque on January 26, 2021. Police tracked Roberts’ car from Dubuque to Chicago and later back to Iowa, where they stopped him after he crossed the bridge from Wisconsin into Dubuque.
A narcotics K9 alerted to the odor of narcotics coming from Roberts’ vehicle, and after an officer asked him to exit the car, Roberts attempted to flee, putting the car in gear and driving away from the scene. The subsequent high-speed chase reached speeds over 80 miles per hour and resulted in a collision with a snowplow. Roberts’ vehicle eventually flipped onto a snow-filled median, approximately three-and-a-half miles away in Illinois.
When the car was turned back over, officers found a plastic bag containing approximately 32 grams of powder cocaine, 44 grams of crack cocaine, over 9 grams of heroin, and 1.5 grams of heroin and fentanyl. A Smith & Wesson 9mm pistol was also discovered next to the bag.
Roberts had previously been convicted of 11 felony crimes in Illinois. He is facing a mandatory minimum sentence of one year imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of 40 years’ imprisonment, a $2,000,000 fine, and a lifetime of supervised release following any imprisonment on the drug charge. On the gun charge, Roberts faces a possible maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and up to three years’ supervised release.
The case was investigated by the Dubuque Drug Task Force and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dan Chatham. Sentencing before United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Roberts remains in the custody of the United States Marshal.
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Key Facts
- State: Iowa
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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