Johnnie Raymond, Unlawful Firearm Possession, Iowa 2020

A Dubuque felon has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for unlawfully possessing a firearm.

In a federal court in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Johnnie Raymond, 22, was sentenced to 24 months' imprisonment for being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm. This conviction stems from a guilty plea entered on July 31, 2019.

Raymond's unlawful possession of a firearm occurred while he was riding as a passenger in a car. He was prohibited from possessing firearms due to a previous conviction for gang participation and forgery in Dubuque County. Additionally, his status as a drug user also prohibited him from possessing firearms.

This case is part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative, a program aimed at reducing violent crime through a collaborative effort between law enforcement agencies and community-based organizations.

PSN is an evidence-based program that has been proven to be effective in reducing violent crime. The program focuses on identifying and addressing the most pressing violent crime problems in local communities and developing comprehensive solutions to address them. In this case, enforcement efforts were directed at the most violent offenders, and partnerships were established with locally based prevention and reentry programs to achieve lasting reductions in crime.

Raymond is currently being held in the United States Marshal's custody until he can be transported to a federal prison. He will also serve a three-year term of supervised release after completing his prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

This case is also part of the Department of Justice's Project Guardian initiative, which aims to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Project Guardian draws upon the Department's past successful programs to reduce gun violence, enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes, and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndia/pr/dubuque-felon-and-drug-user-sentenced-federal-prison-unlawfully-possessing-gun