Hawkeye Reporter

A Cedar Rapids man has been sentenced to 18 years in federal prison after shooting another person during a failed drug deal. Seth John Lee McGraw, 25, pleaded guilty on April 3, 2025, to possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession of an unregistered firearm.

According to court documents, on August 24, 2024, McGraw met with another individual in Cedar Rapids for a marijuana sale. The transaction did not proceed as planned. McGraw then drew a firearm and fired several shots at the other person, hitting them twice. Law enforcement later searched McGraw’s apartment and found multiple firearms and drugs. Among the weapons was a short-barreled rifle that was not registered to McGraw.

McGraw received his sentence from United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams in Cedar Rapids. He was given 216 months’ imprisonment and must serve five years of supervised release following his prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

McGraw remains in the custody of the United States Marshal until he is transferred to a federal prison.

The case falls under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which aims to reduce violent crime and gun violence by coordinating efforts among law enforcement agencies and communities. In May 2021, the Department of Justice launched an updated violent crime reduction strategy for PSN focused on building community trust, supporting prevention organizations, setting strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring outcomes.

Additionally, this prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline), an initiative using resources from the Department of Justice to combat illegal immigration, dismantle cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect communities from violent crime by streamlining efforts from OCDETFs and PSN.

Assistant United States Attorney Adam J. Vander Stoep prosecuted the case following investigations by the Cedar Rapids Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

"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."

"This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.  Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN)."