Waterloo Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Unlawfully Possessing a Gun and Methamphetamine

 Ran from Police with a Loaded Gun in his Waistband

A Waterloo man who unlawfully possessed a firearm and possessed methamphetamine with the intent to distribute was sentenced on September 28, 2020, to almost four years in federal prison.

Corvelous Devontae Caston, age 30, from Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison term after a March 4, 2020 guilty plea to possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine after having previously been convicted of a felony drug offense.

Information disclosed at sentencing showed that, on September 11, 2019, Caston was the backseat passenger of a car stopped by police.  As officers approached the car, Caston opened his door and fled on foot.  Officers pursued and eventually apprehended Caston.  Officers recovered a loaded firearm with no serial number from Caston’s waistband and a mason jar containing a number of multi-colored pills that contained methamphetamine. 

Caston was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams.  Caston was sentenced to 46 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a six-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.  Caston is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

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.  For more information about Project Guardian, please see https://www.justice.gov/ag/page/file/1217186/download.

The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Dillan Edwards and investigated by a Federal Task Force composed of the Waterloo Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms assisted by the Black Hawk Count Sheriff’s Office and Cedar Falls Police Department. 

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 19-CR-02072.