CEDAR RAPIDS – A Waterloo man who illegally possessed a sawed-off shotgun was sentenced today to more than three years in federal prison.
Francisco Rubio, age 25, from Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison term after a guilty plea to possession of an unregistered National Firearms Act device.
In a plea agreement, Rubio admitted that on October 11, 2019, he knowingly possessed a Mossberg 500, 20 gauge sawed-off shotgun with an overall barrel length of less than 18 inches. That day, Waterloo police officers were dispatched to an alleyway behind a residence after receiving a report that individuals were attempting to break into a car. When an officer arrived, he observed Rubio seated in the passenger side of a red car. The driver of the red vehicle was running away from a different vehicle. The driver got into the red car and backed down the alley. Ignoring police commands to stop, the driver continued backing her car down the alley until she reached the roadway. The driver then turned her car onto the road and attempted to flee from the police. During the pursuit, the driver turned her car onto another alleyway. While they were traveling down this alleyway, Rubio threw the sawed-off shotgun out of his passenger window
Rubio was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams. Rubio was sentenced to 46 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.
Rubio 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 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Waterloo Police Department.
