WATERLOO, IA – Edward Earl Roby, Jr., 28, of Waterloo, Iowa, is headed back to federal prison after receiving a 57-month sentence for illegally possessing a firearm – while already awaiting sentencing for a previous gun charge. The repeat offender was sentenced September 26, 2025, by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.
The latest conviction stems from a February 6, 2022 incident where Roby was found in a car fleeing from police after reports of shots fired. Officers responding to the scene spotted a red vehicle matching the description and initiated a pursuit. Roby was in the backseat when the car was finally stopped. A subsequent search along the escape route revealed a .40 caliber Smith & Wesson handgun discarded in a Crown Royal bag atop a snowbank. Six .40 caliber shell casings were also recovered near the original shooting location.
Forensic evidence didn’t lie. DNA testing confirmed Roby’s fingerprints on both the slide and grip of the weapon. The handgun’s magazine, though empty, had a six-round capacity. This isn’t Roby’s first rodeo with a firearm while facing legal trouble. In July 2021, Waterloo law enforcement discovered a gun in Roby’s car during a traffic stop. He pleaded guilty in December 2021 to being a felon in possession of a firearm related to that incident, and was released pending sentencing.
Apparently, that leniency didn’t stick. He was already sentenced in July 2022 to 41 months imprisonment for the initial 2021 firearms offense. Now, with this new 57-month sentence, Roby will be stacking time. Following his imprisonment, he’ll also be subject to a three-year term of supervised release – though, as always, there’s no parole in the federal system. He’s currently in the custody of the U.S. Marshals awaiting transport to a designated federal facility.
Assistant United States Attorney Anthony Morfitt prosecuted the case, with investigation spearheaded by a Federal Task Force comprised of the Waterloo Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives. The Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office and Cedar Falls Police Department also contributed to the investigation. This case is part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a violence reduction strategy focused on community partnerships and strategic enforcement.
Court file information can be found at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. Case file numbers are 21-CR-2057 and 25-CR-02015. Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa on X @USAO_NDIA for further updates.
Related Federal Cases
- Cedar Rapids Gunman Gets 10 Years · Iowa
- Dubuque Gunman Gets 10 Years: Bar Fight Led to Federal Sentence · Illinois
- Waterloo Man Gets 5-Year Sentence for Child Pornography · Iowa
- Cedar Rapids Felon Andre Kase Jr. Gets Near 6-Year Sentence for Gun Possession · Iowa
- Waterloo Man Pleads Guilty To Child Porn Distribution · Iowa
Key Facts
- State: Iowa
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Weapons|Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
🔒 Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
Browse More
