Felon Who Illegally Possessed Gun Sent to Federal Prison

A man who illegally possessed a firearm as a felon was sentenced on August 24, 2026, to more than two years in federal prison.

Jameel Ahmod Lanier, age 25, from Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison term after an April 6, 2026, guilty plea to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Evidence during the case showed Waterloo Police officers stopped a car Lanier was driving. During the traffic stop, officers found a .45 caliber pistol as well as marijuana a short distance from the car. Further analysis of the gun indicated Lanier contributed to a DNA sample located on the gun. Lanier was prohibited from possessing firearms because he had previously been convicted of attempted burglary second degree in the Iowa District Court for Black Hawk County.

Lanier was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Lanier was sentenced to 30 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 Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

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

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lisa C. Williams and was 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.

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.plLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link..

The case file number is 26-CR-2008.

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