Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Over Five Years for Possessing a Gun While Subject to a Domestic Violence Order of Protection

A man who illegally possessed a gun was sentenced on October 23, 2026, to more than five years in federal prison.

Chad Willman, age 50, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after a March 13, 2026, guilty plea to possession of a firearm while subject to an order of protection.

Evidence at the sentencing showed that in January 2025, Willman was subject to an order of protection entered in Linn County District Court which prohibited him from harassing, stalking, and threatening an intimate partner. That order was issued after Willman was convicted of assault while displaying a dangerous weapon. During that assault, Willman forced his then-girlfriend to travel with him to the Wikiup Hill Learning Center at gunpoint. When they arrived, Willman took her cell phones and shot the phones, destroying them. Community members who were present at the Learning Center during the assault called police and Willman was arrested.

Unable to lawfully purchase a gun, Willman burglarized a Cedar Rapids home and stole a Smtih & Wesson 9mm pistol from the homeowner. On April 1, 2025, police went to Willman's apartment to arrest him and saw the gun mounted on a magnetic plate on his kitchen wall. The gun's magazine had been modified so that it could hold more than 16 rounds of ammunition.

Willman was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Willman was sentenced to 63 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.

Willman 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 the Hiawatha 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 25-CR-60.

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