Montarrance Wilson, Felon in Possession of Firearm, IA, 2023

Montarrance Wilson, age 27, from Chicago, Illinois, has pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition in federal court in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

According to the plea agreement, Wilson admitted to purchasing a handgun and more than 100 rounds of ammunition from a Marion, Iowa, man who had pawned the firearm. The transaction took place on July 16, 2013, with Wilson paying $700 for the firearm and ammunition.

The firearm and ammunition were retrieved from a Marion pawnshop by the seller, who then sold them to Wilson. However, Wilson’s possession of the firearm was short-lived, as probation officers made an unannounced home visit to another felon’s apartment later that same day. Wilson fled the scene when the officers knocked on the door, but a bag belonging to him was found inside, containing the firearm and ammunition.

Wilson was arrested in Illinois on these charges in November 2014 and was removed to the Iowa district to answer the charges. As a felon, Wilson was prohibited from possessing a firearm due to a previous conviction in 2007 for Deliver of Cocaine in Cook County, Illinois.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney C.J. Williams and was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Cedar Rapids Police Department as part of the FBI’s Safe Street’s Task Force. Court file information is available at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl, with the case file number being 13-cr-84.

Sentencing for Wilson will be set after a presentence report is prepared, with United States District Court Chief Judge Linda R. Reade presiding. Wilson will remain in the custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. He faces a possible maximum sentence of ten years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, $100 in special assessments, and three years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

The guilty plea is a significant outcome in the ongoing efforts to combat firearm possession by felons in the region. The cooperation between federal and local law enforcement agencies has been instrumental in bringing Wilson to justice, and the case serves as a reminder of the severe consequences of violating federal firearm laws.