Kyler Goettsch, Prohibited Person in Possession of Firearms, Iowa 2024

Cedar Rapids Man Sentenced to Eleven Years in Federal Prison for Being a Prohibited Person in Possession of Firearms

A prohibited person who possessed firearms was sentenced today to eleven years in federal prison. Kyler Goettsch, age 28, of Cedar Rapids, received the sentence after a May 31, 2024, guilty plea to one count of being a prohibited person in possession of firearms.

At the plea hearing, Goettsch admitted that, in November 2023, he possessed two pistols after having been convicted of four felonies and a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence. Evidence at the sentencing hearing showed that Goettsch was arrested after a brief standoff in which he failed to obey officers’ commands and officers had to draw their weapons.

Goettsch was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand. Goettsch was sentenced to 132 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.

On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark Tremmel and was investigated by the Cedar Rapids Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Mandatory Facts: Defendant Kyler Goettsch, 28, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was sentenced to 132 months’ imprisonment. He was found guilty of being a prohibited person in possession of firearms on May 31, 2024. The crime occurred in November 2023. Goettsch must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term.

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