Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Lying to Buy a Gun and Possessing Multiple Guns While a Drug User

A Cedar Rapids man who made a false statement when purchasing a firearm and possessed multiple firearms as a drug user was sentenced today to more than four years in federal prison.

Alexander Wesley Ledvina, age 27, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after a December 1, 2023 verdict following a bench trial in which Ledvina was found guilty of one count of possession of a firearm by a drug user and one count of making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm.

Evidence at the bench trial and sentencing hearing showed that on July 29, 2022, Ledvina purchased a firearm from a gun store in the Northern District of Iowa and falsely stated that he was not an unlawful user of, or addicted to, marijuana or any other controlled substance.  However, during the bench trial, Ledvina stipulated that he knew that he was using controlled substances, including marijuana, THC, and cocaine, in March, April, May, June, and July 2022.  On August 11, 2022, law enforcement investigators searched Ledvina’s home.  Investigators located a total of five firearms.  Investigators also located multiple rounds of ammunition, multiple firearm magazines, a drum magazine that had a 100-round capacity, marijuana, and cannabis inside Ledvina’s residence. 

  Ledvina was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Ledvina was sentenced to 51 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.

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.

Ledvina 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 Adam J. Vander Stoep and was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives 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-36.

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