Nineteen Charged With Federal Gun Law Violations in the Waterloo, Iowa, Area

Law enforcement agencies in the Waterloo, Iowa, area continue to make communities safer by partnering to reduce gun related crimes and violence. The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Iowa announced charges and arrests involving nineteen individuals charged with federal gun crimes within the last week.

"Federal, state and local law enforcement remain committed to reducing violent crime by investigating and prosecuting offenses involving firearms," said Acting United States Attorney Sean R. Berry. "Those who carry guns and commit violence and those who put guns in the hands of violent individuals in our communities will be held accountable."

"Our focus has been two-fold, interrupting a subculture that illegally distributes firearms and holding members of their criminal organizations accountable, while targeting violent offenders whose indifference towards human life and the law made them a danger to the public," said Waterloo Police Chief Doctor Joel Fitzgerald. "We promised our stakeholders that there would be significant consequences for offenders, and this joint effort allowed us to keep our word. For those who continue to participate in criminal activity, it's only a matter of time."

"Violence by neighborhood gang members poses a direct and dangerous threat to innocent victims and our communities. Some of the people arrested this week are associated with gangs responsible for multiple homicides, drive-by shootings, and home invasions. Working alongside our law enforcement partners, FBI Omaha is focused on targeting the overall leadership of gangs that are driving the gun violence and other violent crimes in our communities," said FBI Omaha Special Agent in Charge Eugene Kowel. "We will continue working to identify, investigate, and apprehend criminals responsible for these types of violent crimes until their entire criminal enterprise is dismantled."

"The ATF has no greater mission than keeping firearms out of the hands of violent criminals. These cases not only demonstrate the lengths to which criminals will go to acquire firearms, but more importantly, ATF's expertise and commitment to investigating such violations of federal law," said Frederic Winston, Special Agent in Charge, Kansas City Field Division, ATF. "With our law enforcement partners and the United States Attorney's Office, we will continue to work tirelessly to bring those who disregard the safety of our communities to justice."

"We will continue to combat violence in our communities by apprehending violent offenders engaging in gang-related crimes through the strategic and precise targeting of gang organizations," said Acting United States Marshal Christopher Barther. "Using the full operational capabilities of the United States Marshals Service and its law enforcement partners, this mission will continue to be a top priority."

The work of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies in Waterloo has resulted in the following charges in federal court in the last week:

Terrance Roby, age 23, Jyshawn Robertson, age 23, Ivan Clay, Jr., age 21, Davon Biddle, age 21, Alyssa Stovall, age 23, Jaheim Nickelson, age 19, Lloyd Allen, age 28, Dewon Campbell, age 22, Edward Roby, age 24, Destiny Harrington, age 21, Alissa Kucko, age 26, Abyehun Teferi age 26, Kalon Bruce, age 28, Xzavier Cummings, age 22, have all been charged.

The charges are contained in indictments filed within the last week in United States District Court in Cedar Rapids. Five additional defendants, whose charges remain under seal, have also been charged with violating federal firearm laws.

The indictments against Campbell, Edward Roby, Terrance Roby, Robertson, Nickelson, Allen III, and Bruce allege that these individuals possessed firearms after previously being convicted of at least one felony offense.

The indictment against Ivan Clay, Jr. alleges that on at least two separate occasions, Clay, Jr. possessed a firearm after having previously been convicted of a felony offense. The indictment also alleges that Clay, Jr., possessed marijuana with the intent to distribute it and that he possessed a firearm in relation to the drug trafficking offense.

The indictment against Kucko alleges that she made a false statement during the purchase of a firearm, specifically, that she was purchasing the firearm for herself when in reality she purchased the firearm for another person. The indictment also alleges Kucko possessed five firearms while being an unlawful user of marijuana.

The indictments against Biddle, Stovall, and Cummings allege they possessed a firearm while being unlawful users of marijuana.

If convicted on these charges, all defendants face at least a possible maximum sentence of 10 years' imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

The indictment against Harrington allege that Harrington made a false statement when purchasing a firearm, specifically, she lied about her address and represented that she was not a user of controlled substance, when in fact she an unlawful user of marijuana. If convicted on this charge, Harrington faces a possible maximum sentence of 5 years' imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

As with any criminal case, a charge is merely an accusation and each defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

The cases were brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice's violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

These cases were investigated by the Waterloo Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, and the United States Marshal's Service.

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