Timothy T. Duax U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa
A Sioux City man, Joseph Tapia, has been sentenced to over four years in federal prison for illegal gun possession. The 25-year-old pleaded guilty on August 28, 2024, to possession of a firearm by a felon.
The case stemmed from an incident on December 11, 2023, when Sioux City Police stopped Tapia for riding a bicycle without the required headlamp after midnight. During the stop, Tapia resisted arrest but was eventually taken into custody. Officers discovered a fanny pack he was carrying contained a loaded 9mm pistol and a digital scale with methamphetamine residue.
Tapia's criminal history includes convictions for six counts of second-degree burglary and one count of third-degree burglary in 2017. He was paroled in 2021 and had attended meetings where he was warned about the consequences of possessing firearms and offered support services to aid his reintegration into society. Despite these warnings and opportunities, Tapia committed this federal offense within two years of completing state supervision.
United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand sentenced Tapia in Sioux City to 51 months' imprisonment, with credit for time served. Following his prison term, he will be subject to three years of supervised release. It is noted that there is no parole in the federal system.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative by the Department of Justice aimed at reducing violent crime through collaboration among various stakeholders to address community-specific issues. PSN focuses on targeting violent offenders while partnering with prevention and reentry programs.
Tapia remains in United States Marshal’s custody pending transport to a federal prison. The investigation was conducted by the Sioux City Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Forde Fairchild.
