Waterloo Man Sentenced to Federal Prison after He Was Found with Loaded Gun, Ecstasy, and Marijuana in Car

Had almost a pound of marijuana on him at time

A Waterloo man who unlawfully possessed a gun while a drug user was sentenced today to over three years in prison.

Anthony Torres, age 19, from Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison sentence after a November 21, 2019 guilty plea to possession of a firearm by a drug user.

Information disclosed at sentencing and at his plea hearing showed that on June 23, 2019, Waterloo police officers tried to stop the car Torres was driving.  Torres failed to stop for officers and ran a stop sign in the process.  Eventually, Torres got out of his car and attempted to walk away quickly.  Officers took Torres into custody for driving with a suspended license.  Officers could smell marijuana in his car.  Officers searched the car and located a loaded .40 caliber Smith & Wesson and ammunition in the glove box.  In the trunk, officers located 402 grams of marijuana and 19 ecstasy pills.  Torres admitted he intended to distribute the marijuana.  Torres has a criminal history which includes five controlled substance convictions.  He also robbed a local store at gunpoint when he was 15 years old.

Torres was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams.  Torres was sentenced to 40 months’ imprisonment.  He was ordered to make payment of $100 to the special assessment fund.  He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ashley Corkery and investigated by the Waterloo Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigations, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

This case was 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.

This case is also part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. The United States Attorney’s Office has prosecuted this case with support from its Project Guardian partners.  For more information about Project Guardian, please see https://www.justice.gov/ag/page/file/1217186/download.