Timothy T. Duax U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa
A Waterloo woman has been sentenced to more than three years in federal prison for purchasing firearms on behalf of a convicted felon. LaDonna Henderson, 28, pleaded guilty earlier this year to eight counts of making false statements during the purchase of a firearm and one count of possession of a firearm by an unlawful user of a controlled substance.
Court documents indicate that Henderson bought nine firearms and attempted to buy a tenth over a six-week period in 2023. She made false statements regarding her drug use and about who was actually buying the firearms. The guns were given to her boyfriend at the time, Christopher Hoover, who is a felon and used cocaine and marijuana. Hoover trafficked some of these firearms, according to authorities.
Law enforcement recovered four of the firearms purchased by Henderson from other felons or drug users. Hoover was prosecuted for possessing the firearms she bought and received a sentence of 93 months in prison in September 2024. Four additional individuals—Jayquine Steele (sentenced to 57 months), Jeremy Phillips (57 months), Patrelle Green-Bowman (105 months), and Walter Smith (37 months)—were also sentenced for their roles related to possession of these firearms.
Henderson’s sentencing took place in Cedar Rapids before United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams, who ordered her to serve 37 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Federal inmates are not eligible for parole.
Henderson remains free on bond until she is required to report to federal prison.
Assistant United States Attorney Kyndra Lundquist prosecuted the case, which was investigated by a federal task force including the Waterloo Police Department, FBI, Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office, and Cedar Falls Police Department.
"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. On May 26, 2021, the Department 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," according to officials.
