Timothy T. Duax U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa
A woman from Waterloo, Iowa, has been sentenced to one year in federal prison for making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm. Arryel Skye Waters, 24, received her sentence on February 19, 2026, following her guilty plea on September 4, 2025.
Court documents show that in July 2023, Waters tried to buy a gun at a business in Cedar Falls with her then-17-year-old boyfriend present. Store employees became suspicious that she was not buying the firearm for herself and refused the sale. Waters then went to another store in Cedar Falls alone and purchased a Glock handgun after indicating on paperwork that it was for her own use. However, evidence later revealed she bought the weapon for her boyfriend.
Both Waters and her boyfriend were using marijuana at the time of these events.
In November 2023, while working as a delivery driver, Waters shared comments made by employees at one of her stops with her boyfriend. He later confronted those employees with the same gun that Waters had bought for him. He was subsequently arrested and charged with several offenses, including being a felon in possession of a firearm due to his previous burglary conviction.
"This case highlights the serious consequences of providing firearms to individuals who are prohibited from possessing them," said officials involved in the prosecution.
Waters’ actions resulted in federal charges because making false statements when purchasing firearms is illegal under federal law.
