U.S. Attorney Timothy Duax | U.S. Department of Justice
A Mexican national residing in Waterloo, Iowa, has been sentenced to over two years in federal prison for illegal firearm possession. Julio Parra-Moralez, 41, pleaded guilty on August 15, 2024, to charges of illegal reentry following a felony conviction and possession of a firearm by an alien.
Parra-Moralez admitted in a plea agreement that he had previously been deported from the United States and reentered without government permission. He was deported in September 2010 after a forgery conviction in September 2002. Immigration officials discovered his illegal return on February 18, 2024, at Black Hawk County Jail after his arrest on state charges. On April 1, 2024, he was convicted of methamphetamine possession and sentenced to five years' probation.
In April 2023, Parra-Moralez unlawfully possessed a firearm while illegally present in the U.S. A traffic stop by a sheriff’s deputy on I-380 in Black Hawk County revealed a Smith & Wesson .38 Special with an obliterated serial number in his vehicle. DNA analysis confirmed Parra-Moralez's connection to the firearm.
United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand sentenced Parra-Moralez to 33 months’ imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. He remains in U.S. Marshal custody pending transport to federal prison.
Assistant United States Attorney Daniel C. Tvedt prosecuted the case with investigations conducted by the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Department, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence through collaboration between law enforcement and communities. The program emphasizes community trust, support for violence prevention organizations, strategic enforcement priorities, and result measurement.
