Federal jury convicts Cedar Rapids man for selling drug mixture resulting in 2 deaths

CEDAR RAPIDS — A federal jury Wednesday convicted a Cedar Rapids man, who was previously convicted on a firearm charge, of selling a fentanyl and heroin mixture to a Marion couple who overdosed and died in 2023.

The jury deliberated about two hours, following a three-day trial, before finding Cody Kinzie Dittmar, 34, formerly of Dubuque, guilty of distribution of a controlled substance resulting in death and conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance resulting in death.

Dittmar committed the offenses while on supervised release for a previous conviction of being a felon in possession of a firearm in 2017. He was sentenced to more than five years in federal prison. He had been on supervised release since June 2023.

Dittmar immediately began selling heroin and fentanyl with his girlfriend, then wife, Alysha Dittmar, according to court documents. On July 1, 2023, the Dittmars sold a mixture of heroin, fentanyl and xylazine to a man, not identified in court documents, in Marion. The man and his wife used the drugs and both died from overdoses.

Cody and Alysha Dittmar continued to sell heroin and fentanyl in the Cedar Rapids area until July 2024.

According to court documents, Alysha Dittmar previously pleaded guilty to distribution of a controlled substance resulting in deaths. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

U.S. District Chief Judge C.J. Williams will sentence Dittmar after a presentence report is completed. He faces a mandatory minimum of 20 years in prison on each charge and could face up to life. Dittmar also faces fines and lifetime supervised release following his prison term.

Dittmar remains in custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending sentencing.

The case was prosecuted by assistant U.S. attorneys Dan Chatham and Nicole Nagin. The case was investigated by the Marion Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration Task Force; Linn County Sheriff's Office; Cedar Rapids and Marion police departments; and Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement.

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