Source: United States Department of Justice News
A man who had gasoline-filled destructive devices, commonly called Molotov cocktails, in his home on May 19, 2021, was sentenced today to more than two years in federal prison.
Melchizedek Robin Hayes, age 39, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after a June 10, 2022 guilty plea to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, specifically three destructive devices.
In a plea agreement, Hayes admitted he had previously been convicted of prior burglary and multiple domestic abuse crimes. On May 19, 2021, Hayes had three Molotov Cocktails in his home, when Cedar Rapids Police Department officers responded to a call for emergency service and found them.
Hayes was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams. Hayes was sentenced to 26 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Hayes is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Patrick Reinert and Ashley Corkery. This case was investigated by the Cedar Rapids Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 21-CR-00069.
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