CEDAR RAPIDS – A convicted sex offender who lived in Iowa for approximately ten months without registering was sentenced this week to two years in federal prison.
Ricky Lynn Thomas, age 62, most recently from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after an April 6, 2018, guilty plea to failing to register as a sex offender.
In a plea agreement, Thomas admitted he was required to register as a sex offender because he was previously convicted of second degree criminal sexual conduct involving a minor victim when living in Minnesota in 1992. Thomas moved to Iowa in March 2017, but did not register as a sex offender prior to January 18, 2018, even though he knew he was required to register. Thomas has also been convicted twice before of violating sex offender registry requirements in state court.
Thomas was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge Linda R. Reade. Thomas was sentenced to 24 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a 5-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. Thomas 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 Anthony Morfitt and investigated by the United States Marshal’s Service, the Linn County Sheriff’s Office, and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.