A felon who possessed a gun was sentenced today to more than three years in federal prison. Nathan Lee Armstrong, age 42, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after a May 13, 2025, guilty plea to possession of a firearm by a felon.In October 2024, police searched Armstrong’s home in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, during a theft investigation. While searching his bedroom, officers found a gun with a loaded magazine. Armstrong admitted to using methamphetamine the day before police searched his home.
Armstrong was prohibited from possessing firearms due to a prior felony conviction for intent to manufacture/deliver methamphetamine. Armstrong was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Armstrong was sentenced to 37 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. Armstrong 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 Nicole L. Nagin and investigated by the Cedar Rapids Police Department.
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.Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.The case file number is 25-CR-00021.