Cedar Rapids man nabbed with gun, drugs sentenced to more than 5 years in federal prison

CEDAR RAPIDS — A Cedar Rapids man, who led police on a foot chase after officers found him with a loaded handgun and drugs, was sentenced this week to more than five years in federal prison.

Semaje Star, 23, was convicted in February on one count of possession of a firearm by an unlawful user of a controlled substance.

According to court documents, police officers arrested Star after a foot chase in 2018. He was armed with a loaded handgun and had marijuana. The officers had caught Star conducting a drug transaction.

Then in May 2020, officers, during a traffic stop, pulled over Star who was driving as a barred driver, according to a sentencing document. During this incident, officers found a loaded pistol in the car and later found Star’s fingerprint was on the gun they confiscated. Star also tested positive for marijuana and methamphetamine.

During an investigation, investigators also found Star’s social media account contained multiple messages or conversations related to using, buying and selling marijuana, according to court documents. Photos and videos from Star’s phone, including from Snapchat and Facebook accounts showed him possessing at least 10 additional firearms, including guns with extended magazines, in 2018, 2019 and 2020.

U.S. District Judge C.J. Williams sentenced Star on Tuesday to 63 months in prison. He was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release following his prison term.

Star remains in jail under the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service until can be taken to a designated federal prison.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyndra Lundquist and investigated by the Cedar Rapids Safe Streets Task Force. The task force includes FBI agents and Cedar Rapids Police Department officers.

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