CEDAR RAPIDS – A marijuana user who unlawfully possessed a gun with an obliterated serial number pled guilty January 31, 2013, in federal court in Cedar Rapids.
Geromey Gilliand, age 23, from Dubuque, Iowa, was convicted of one count of possession of a firearm by an illegal drug user.
At the plea hearing, Gilliand admitted he was an unlawful user of marijuana on November 28, 2012, when police officers arrested him in Dubuque on an outstanding arrest warrant. During a search incident to arrest, officers found marijuana and a loaded .22 caliber pistol in Gilliand’s packpack. The serial number on the gun had been scratched off.
Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Linda R. Reade will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Gilliand remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. Gilliand faces a possible maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, $100 in special assessments, and 3 years of supervised release following any imprisonment.
This case is being prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a cooperative local, state and federal program aimed at the enhanced prosecution of gun crimes. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel C. Tvedt and was investigated by the Dubuque Police Department, the Dubuque Sheriff’s Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms.
