Marijuana User in Possession of Loaded Firearm Sentenced to More Than Three Years in Federal Prison

Waterloo Police Find Gun in Car Following a High Speed Car Chase

A man who illegally possessed a firearm while a marijuana user was sentenced today to more than three years in federal prison.

Christopher Roby, age 19, from Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison term after a May 10, 2019 guilty plea to possession of a firearm by a drug user.

Evidence during the case showed that Roby was a passenger in a vehicle that police attempted to stop.  The vehicle, driven by an associate of Roby’s, refused to stop and led police on a high speed chase, in excess of 80 miles per hour.  When police finally stopped the vehicle, officers found a loaded revolver was under the area Roby was seated in.  Roby admitted to possessing the gun.  Police also found approximately one-half ounce of marijuana on Roby at the time of his arrest.

Roby was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams.  Roby was sentenced to 41 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 was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).  PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

Roby is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lisa C. Williams and investigated by a Federal Task Force composed of the Waterloo Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms assisted by the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office and Cedar Falls Police Department.