Cedar Rapids Man to Federal Prison for Possessing Twelve Firearms as a Drug User

A man caught with two firearms and whose social media and cell phone documented his unlawful possession of another ten firearms over a three-year period was sentenced on July 16, 2024, to more than five years in federal prison.

Semaje Jeyvon Star, age 23, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after a February 1, 2024 guilty plea to one count of possession of a firearm by an unlawful user of a controlled substance.

Information from sentencing showed that in 2018, police officers apprehended Star after a foot chase. Star was armed with a loaded handgun and in possession of marijuana. The officers had seen Star engage in a hand-to-hand transaction. Then in May 2020, officers located Star driving despite his status as a barred driver. Officers found a loaded pistol in the car. Star's fingerprint was on the firearm found in his car. Star tested positive for marijuana and methamphetamine. Star's Facebook records contained multiple conversations related to using, purchasing, and selling marijuana. Photos and videos from Star's phone, Snapchat, and Facebook profile showed him possessing at least ten additional firearms, including firearms with extended magazines, in 2018, 2019, and 2020.

Star was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Star was sentenced to 63 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.

Star is being held in the United States Marshal's custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kyndra Lundquist and investigated by the Cedar Rapids Safe Streets Task Force. The task force is composed of representatives from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Cedar Rapids Police Department.

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

The case file number is 23-CR-0092.

Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.