COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA - Richard Joseph Moreno, age 36 of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced on Oct. 28, 2022, to 84 months in prison following his plea of guilty to Prohibited Person in Possession of a Firearm. After he is released from prison, Moreno will serve three years of supervised release.
On Aug. 17, 2021, a Mills County Sherriff’s Deputy stopped Moreno for traffic violations. The deputy discovered the truck had been reported stolen. The truck smelled of spray paint and appeared as if it had been recently repainted from white to black. When Moreno stepped out of the vehicle, a marijuana pipe fell off his lap. During a search of the truck, officers located a locked bag and later opened it after obtaining a search warrant. Inside the locked bag was ammunition and a loaded firearm that had been reported stolen. Moreno had a prior felony conviction that prevented him from possessing a firearm.
United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Mills County Sheriff Department and the Southwest Iowa Narcotics Enforcement Task Force investigated the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. In May 2021, the Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
