66-Year-Old Sentenced to 12 Years in Federal Prison For Distribution of Fentanyl and Heroin Resulting in Death
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- A man who distributed heroin and fentanyl and who possessed ammunition as a felon was sentenced September 1, 2026, to twelve years in federal prison.
Vincent Steven Calvin, age 66, from Chicago, Illinois, received the prison term after a March 11, 2026, guilty plea to one count of distribution of a controlled substance and one count of possession of ammunition by a felon.
Information disclosed at the sentencing hearing showed that Calvin was involved in the distribution of heroin and fentanyl in Cedar Rapids. On the evening of September 27 or the morning of September 28, 2020, a man ingested fentanyl that he had obtained from Calvin. He died from a fentanyl‑related overdose. On November 22, 2022, and January 3, 2023, law enforcement investigators purchased bought from Calvin. On January 10, 2023, officers searched Calvin’s apartment in Cedar Rapids and located multiple rounds of ammunition. Calvin was prohibited from possessing ammunition based on multiple prior felony convictions.
Calvin was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand. Calvin was sentenced to 144 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.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Calvin is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was investigated by the Cedar Rapids Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Task Force consisting of the DEA; the Linn County Sheriff's Office; the Cedar Rapids Police Department; the Marion Police Department; and the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Adam J. Vander Stoep.
