A Sioux City man was sentenced on Monday, April 24, 2017, to 10 years in federal prison.
Donavan Cross, 25, from Sioux City, Iowa, received the prison term after a Dec. 15, 2016, jury verdict finding him guilty of being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
On June 4, 2016, officers from the Sioux City Police Department responded to a 911 call involving a disturbance between Cross and his live-in girlfriend. Officers spoke to Cross’s girlfriend, who stated that she wanted to gather her belongings and move back with her mother. The girlfriend then led officers to the bedroom that she shared with Cross. Officers discovered a 9mm pistol with a fully loaded clip, further investigation led to the discovery of ammunition, and a holster in the residence. When confronted, Cross immediately claimed the pistol belonged to his grandmother, who also lived with him. He also denied the bedroom in which the pistol was found belonged to him, in spite of his grandmother identifying the bedroom and studio as belonging to Cross.
Cross was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Senior Judge Mark W. Bennett. Cross was sentenced to 120 months’ imprisonment, the maximum under the law. A special assessment of $100 was imposed. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Cross is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Ajay Alexander and investigated by the Sioux City Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 16-CR-4067.
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Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
