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, the incident occurred on August 24, 2024. McGraw met with another individual in Cedar Rapids to sell marijuana. The transaction did not go as planned and McGraw fired multiple shots at the other person, hitting them twice. Later that day, law enforcement searched McGraw’s apartment and found several firearms and drugs. Among the weapons was a short-barreled rifle that was not properly registered.
United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams sentenced McGraw to 216 months in prison. After completing his sentence, McGraw will serve five years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
McGraw is currently held by the United States Marshal until he is transferred to federal prison.
The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which aims to reduce violent crime and gun violence through cooperation among law enforcement agencies and community organizations. “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.”
Additionally, this prosecution falls under Operation Take Back America https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline , which brings together resources from various Department of Justice programs including OCDETFs and PSN for coordinated efforts against illegal immigration, cartels, transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and violent crime perpetrators.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Adam J. Vander Stoep following investigations by the Cedar Rapids Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
