Robert Lewis, a 43-year-old man from Janesville, Iowa, has been found guilty of conspiring to distribute methamphetamine throughout the Waterloo area.
A federal jury returned the verdict against Lewis on August 22, 2018 after a three-day trial in federal court in Cedar Rapids.
The evidence presented at the trial showed that Lewis began working with others to distribute ice methamphetamine in the summer of 2013. Lewis and his associates obtained methamphetamine from an out-of-state source of supply and shipped it via FedEx concealed in car part boxes.
Lewis and his associates broke down the methamphetamine into smaller quantities for sale once it arrived in Iowa. Lewis also used his daughter to register a vehicle for the head of the drug organization and allowed other members of the conspiracy access to his home, referred to as the ‘clubhouse,’ for the purpose of repackaging and distributing methamphetamine.
Lewis left Iowa in the fall of 2013, but continued to receive methamphetamine from his associates. For example, in January 2014, one person attempted to send Lewis methamphetamine hidden in a Hamburger Skillet prepared meal box. FedEx employees flagged the package as suspicious and investigators ultimately seized a quarter ounce of methamphetamine from inside the box.
Lewis faces a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment, a $10,000,000 fine, and five years of supervised release following any imprisonment.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lisa C. Williams and was investigated as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program through a cooperative effort of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, and the Tri-County Drug Enforcement Task Force.
Lewis remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. The sentencing before Chief United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared.
Key Facts
- State: Iowa
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Organized Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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