Description: Waterloo, Iowa criminal defense lawyers represented defendants charged with felony transportation of firearms.

Qunshaundes Davion McNealy, age 27, William McNealy III, age 22, Sahjit Mcyle Phillips, age 23, and William Rashad Burt, age 28, all from Waterloo, Iowa, each pled to being a felon in possession of at least one firearm. Evidence in this case showed that, on July 6, 2021, law enforcement officers conducted a search at a residence in Waterloo and located all four individuals along with five guns and evidence of marijuana trafficking.

Qunshaundes Davion McNealy was sentenced to 120 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. In sentencing Qunshaundes McNealy, the court found he possessed a firearm with an extended magazine, possessed at least three firearms, including a stolen firearm, and that he possessed the firearms in connection with offenses of possessing marijuana with the intent to deliver and carrying weapons. He has multiple prior convictions, including Burglary, Assault Domestic Causing Bodily Injury, Assault Causing Serious Injury, and Harassment.

William McNealy III was sentenced to 87 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. In sentencing William McNealy, the court found he possessed a firearm with an extended magazine, possessed more than three firearms, including two stolen firearms, and that he possessed the firearms in connection with the offense of carrying weapons. At the time of his arrest, he was on parole for a 2017 conviction for Intimidation with a Dangerous Weapon from Black Hawk County.

Sahjit Mcyle Phillips was sentenced to 100 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. In sentencing Phillips, the court found he possessed a firearm with an extended magazine, possessed more than three firearms, including a stolen firearm, and that he possessed the firearms in connection with the offense of carrying weapons. Phillips was on parole for a 2017 conviction for Intimidation with a Dangerous Weapon from Black Hawk County and was on supervised release on a 2017 federal conviction for Theft of a Firearm from a Licensee. The court revoked Phillips’ term of supervised release in the 2017 federal conviction and imposed an additional term of 10 months’ imprisonment to run consecutively to the new case for a total of 110 months’ months imprisonment.

All three men were sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams. There is no parole in the federal system.

William Rashad Burt is currently set for sentencing before Judge Williams on July 6, 2022, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

All four men are being held in the United States Marshal’s custody.

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

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Emily K. Nydle and was investigated by a Federal Task Force composed of the Waterloo Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms assisted by the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office and Cedar Falls Police Department.

Outcome: Qunshaundes Davion McNealy was sentenced to 120 months’ imprisonment.

William McNealy III was sentenced to 87 months’ imprisonment.

Sahjit Mcyle Phillips was sentenced to 100 months’ imprisonment.

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