Whitsel had prior convictions for Forgery, Theft, Burglary, and Domestic Abuse Assault
A man who illegally possessed a gun was sentenced Oct. 29, 2020, to six years in federal prison.
Cordaro Whitsel, age 31, from Sioux City, Iowa, received the prison term after a June 19, 2020, guilty plea to being a felon, drug user, and domestic abuse misdemeanant in possession of a firearm.
Evidenced produced by the United States at the detention, change of plea, and sentencing hearings revealed that on Nov. 16, 2019, at approximately 5:00 a.m., a person contacted the Sioux City Police Department and requested officers to come to her residence on Main Street in Sioux City right away because Cordaro Whitsel was there, on parole, unwelcome, and “irate." At the time, Whitsel had prior convictions for Forgery, Theft, Burglary, and Domestic Abuse Assault. Officers arrived and found Whitsel outside the residence wearing a large camouflage backpack. Whitsel removed the backpack and set it next to him on the porch. Officers spoke with the 911 caller, who explained that she was assaulted by Whitsel during an argument while her children (ages 4 years, 2 years, and 4 months) were present in the residence. The 911 caller had visible injuries that were consistent with her statements. Whitsel was arrested. A small baggie of methamphetamine was found lying on the porch where Whitsel was seated. Inside the backpack, law enforcement found a loaded shotgun (one round in the chamber and 3 rounds in the magazine tube). Officers subsequently located a ballistic vest in the basement where Whitsel had been prior to the assault.
Whitsel was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand. Whitsel was sentenced to 72 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Whitsel 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. The United States Attorney’s Office has prosecuted this case with support from our Project Guardian partners. For more information about Project Guardian, please see https://www.justice.gov/ag/page/file/1217186/download.
The case was investigated by the Sioux City Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Forde Fairchild.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 20-4009.
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Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
