Has Numerous Prior Convictions, Including Prior Weapons
Offenses
A felon who ran from the scene of a traffic stop leaving
behind a loaded pistol with an attached high capacity extended magazine was
sentenced today to more than five years in federal prison.
Prequondis Lequay Holmes, age 29 from Waterloo, Iowa,
received the prison term after a December 2, 2019 guilty plea to possession of
a firearm by a felon.
In August 2018, Holmes was traveling in a vehicle when it
was stopped by the police. Holmes told
the driver to take-off and then ran away, leaving a pistol with an attached
high capacity extended magazine in the vehicle.
Law enforcement found Holmes’ DNA on the pistol. Holmes has previous convictions for intimidation
with a dangerous weapon, reckless use of a firearm, assault causing bodily
injury, eluding, and flight to avoid prosecution.
Holmes was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States
District Court Judge C.J. Williams.
Holmes was sentenced to 70 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a three-year term of
supervised release after the prison term.
There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods
(PSN). PSN is the centerpiece of the
Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be
effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of
stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems
in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement
efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based
prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
This case is also part of Project Guardian, the Department
of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal
firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project
Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun
violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal
authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves
information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by
the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking
appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for
mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the
criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. The United States Attorney’s Office has prosecuted
this case with support from our Project Guardian partners. For more information
about Project Guardian, please see
https://www.justice.gov/ag/page/file/1217186/download.
Holmes is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody
until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney
Emily K. Nydle and investigated by a Federal Task Force composed of the
Waterloo Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Bureau of
Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms assisted by the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office
and Cedar Falls Police Department.
Court file information at
https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 19-CR-2054.
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