A Burlington man accused of taking part in an armed robbery involving an AR-15 rifle is facing up to 25 years in prison if convicted.
Eighteen-year-old Marcus Rayschwan Givan was arrested Feb. 15 by the Burlington Police Department and charged with first-degree robbery, a class B felony. Authorities say Givan was 17 years old at the time of the alleged robbery in June of 2025.
According to court records, police responded to the 900 block of North 7th Street around 4:15 a.m. on June 7 after receiving a report of a robbery. The victim told officers they had arranged through Facebook Messenger to purchase assault rifle ammunition from another person.
The victim said when they arrived at the meeting location, another man pulled an AR-15 rifle from his sweatpants and pointed it at them before they fled the area.
Detectives later learned the victim had continued communicating with the alleged seller and arranged another meeting later that month to purchase the rifle itself. The victim told investigators they arrived with 260 dollars in cash toward the purchase when a masked man wearing black clothing again pulled out the rifle and pointed it at them. The victim said the suspects took the cash while threatening them before they ran away.
Investigators say a witness later told police that two men arrived at a Burlington residence shortly after the incident and discussed having robbed the victim. The witness identified one of the men as “Marcus Sanders,” who detectives later determined was Givan.
Court records show Givan pleaded not guilty in March. His trial, originally scheduled for this week, was continued at his request. A pretrial conference is now scheduled for June 29 at the Des Moines County Courthouse, with jury trial set for July 14.
Givan remains in custody at the Des Moines County Jail on a 25-thousand-dollar cash-only bond. He is represented by defense attorney Heidi Van Winkle.
A criminal charge is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.