Coakley Sentenced

A brutal assault on a security guard at the Social Security Administration Office in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has landed Howard Lamont Coakley, 30, in federal prison for more than two years.

Coakley, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, pleaded guilty on May 7, 2014, to assaulting a person engaged in official federal duties. The guilty plea came after Coakley admitted to forcibly assaulting a security guard on January 14, 2014, causing bodily injury.

The incident occurred at the Social Security Administration Office in Cedar Rapids, where Coakley attacked the security guard. The details of the assault are disturbing, and the fact that Coakley caused bodily injury to the guard makes the crime even more egregious.

On July 1, 2014, Coakley was sentenced by United States District Court Chief Judge Linda R. Reade to 30 months’ imprisonment. In addition to the prison term, Coakley was also ordered to pay a special assessment of $100 and serve a one-year term of supervised release after his imprisonment.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Anthony Morfitt, and the investigation was conducted by the Federal Protective Service. Court file information is available at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl, with the case file number 14-CR-00017.

Coakley is currently being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison to begin serving his sentence. The sentence serves as a reminder that assaulting federal officials will not be tolerated and will result in severe consequences.

The crime is a stark reminder of the dangers faced by security guards and federal officials every day. The fact that Coakley pleaded guilty and admitted to causing bodily injury to the security guard makes it clear that he understood the severity of his actions.