Six-Time Felon Sentenced to Federal Prison After Police Find Him with a Gun

A Cedar Rapids man who possessed a gun after having six felony convictions was sentenced April 22, 2026, to five years in federal prison.

James Merlin Hall, age 48, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after an August 19, 2025, guilty plea to possession of a firearm by a felon.

Information from the plea and sentencing hearings showed that Hall was previously convicted of six felony offenses. On May 20, 2024, police officers searched Hall's recreational vehicle and located a gun inside. Hall was prohibited from possessing firearms because of his felony convictions.

Hall was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand. Hall was sentenced to 60 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.

Hall 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 Michael S.A. Hudson and investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and the Cedar Rapids 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-35.

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