A Cedar Rapids man has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for distributing methamphetamine. John Robert Moro, 34, pleaded guilty on October 6, 2025, to one count of distribution of a controlled substance.
According to information presented at the sentencing hearing, Moro sold methamphetamine twice in March 2024 to an individual cooperating with law enforcement. United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams handed down the sentence of 120 months’ imprisonment in Cedar Rapids. Following his release from prison, Moro will serve a five-year term of supervised release. Federal sentences do not include the possibility of parole.
The prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative created by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF brings together multiple government agencies to combat criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking operations both inside and outside the United States. The task force prioritizes investigations involving child trafficking or other crimes against children and aims to prosecute and remove violent criminal aliens from the country.
HSTF Kansas City oversees operations in Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, and Nebraska. Its members include agents and officers from various federal agencies such as Homeland Security Investigations; Immigration and Customs Enforcement; Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Drug Enforcement Administration; Federal Bureau of Investigation; Internal Revenue Service; United States Marshals Service; United States Postal Inspection Service; state investigative agencies for Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska; and the Kansas City Missouri Police Department.
Moro remains in custody with the United States Marshals until he is transferred to a federal prison facility.
Assistant United States Attorney Adam J. Vander Stoep prosecuted this case with support from HSTF Kansas City. The investigation included assistance from the DEA Task Force comprising members from the DEA itself as well as local law enforcement agencies: Linn County Sheriff’s Office, Cedar Rapids Police Department, Marion Police Department, and Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement.
