Waterloo Man Who Stole Semi-Automatic Rifle from Friend Sentenced to Over Six Years in Federal Prison

A man who stole a friend’s firearm and sold it to a felon was sentenced May 16, 2022, to more than six years in federal prison.

Cole McNamara, age 28, from Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison term after a November 2, 2021 guilty plea to being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm.

In a plea agreement, McNamara admitted he was receiving treatment at a substance abuse facility in October 2020.  He left the treatment facility and entered a friend’s home in Independence, Iowa, where he stole a semi-automatic rifle, among other items.  McNamara was later apprehended at the Isle of Capri casino in possession of methamphetamine, his friend’s wallet, and titles to his friend’s vehicles.  McNamara is prohibited from possessing firearms because he is a convicted felon, drug user, and was previously convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence.  At sentencing, McNamara declared, “I am 100% guilty of this crime.”  In reference to his previous convictions, the sentencing judge noted McNamara was a “one man crime wave.”

McNamara was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams.  McNamara was sentenced to 78 months’ imprisonment and fined $100.  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 was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).  PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

McNamara 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 Liz Dupuich and investigated by the Independence Police Department in Independence, Iowa. 

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 21-cr-2069.

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