Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Armed Career Criminal Pleads Guilty and is Detained
Robert M. Hertz, age 51, of 2418 Catskill Street SW, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, pleaded guilty today to one count of possessing a firearm and ammunition as a felon.
In an indictment filed June 11, 2015, Hertz was charged with possessing a .40 caliber rifle and 237 rounds of ammunition on May 12, 2015, after he had previously been convicted of three violent felonies or serious drug offenses, namely, Arson, Second Degree Burglary, and Manufacturing Methamphetamine.
Today, Hertz pled guilty to the charge in United States District Court in Cedar Rapids. Hertz admitted he had been previously convicted of the three felonies identified in the indictment. Hertz thus faces a mandatory minimum sentence of fifteen years’ imprisonment, plus a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to five years.
After Hertz pleaded guilty, he was ordered detained without bond. Chief Magistrate Judge Jon Scoles found there was evidence Hertz had attempted to obstruct justice while on pretrial release.
A sentencing date has not been set.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Richard L. Murphy and was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations; Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms; and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Court file information is available at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is 15-CR-00053.
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