Two Waterloo men who were located near handguns in an area where shots were fired were sentenced on May 7, 2020, to federal prison.
Chaston Fox, age 27, and Jayontae Gates, age 19, both from Waterloo, Iowa, received prison terms after pleading guilty on Jan. 15, 2020. Chaston Fox pled guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and received a sentence of
47 months in prison. Jayontae Gates pled guilty to being a drug user in possession of firearm and ammunition and received a sentence of 18 months in prison.
In plea agreements, both Fox and Gates admitted they were found in an area where gunfire had been heard. Fox was located walking near a bag containing marijuana, a digital scale and baggies, and a Ruger.22 caliber revolver. Fox was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of a prior felony conviction for theft in the first degree. Gates was located in the area of the gunfire entering a nearby apartment. Inside the apartment, law enforcement recovered a Ruger.22 caliber pistol. Gates had live.22 caliber ammunition in his pockets. Gates was prohibited from possessing a firearm because he was a user of illegal drugs.
Fox and Gates were sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams. Fox was sentenced to 47 months’ imprisonment. He must serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. Gates was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Liz Dupuich and 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 County Sheriff’s Office and Cedar Falls Police Department.
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.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 19-CR-2077-CJW.
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Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
