Marijuana User Sentenced to Over Two Years in Federal Prison for Unlawfully Possessing a Gun

Possessed a Loaded Handgun and Drugs He Planned to Distribute

An illegal user of controlled substances who unlawfully possessed a handgun was sentenced today to over two years in federal prison.

Corey Dunn, Jr., age 20, from Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison term after an October 29, 2019, guilty plea to being an unlawful user of controlled substances in possession of a firearm.

Information in a plea agreement and at sentencing showed that on June 6, 2019, Dunn was a passenger in a car that was stopped by the Waterloo Police Department.  During the traffic stop, officers found a loaded .38 caliber revolver and over 70 grams of marijuana near where Dunn was sitting in the car.  In a plea agreement, Dunn admitted he unlawfully possessed the gun as a marijuana user.  He also admitted he planned to distribute the marijuana and that he possessed the gun in connection with his drug trafficking.

Dunn was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams.  Dunn was sentenced to 27 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. For more information about Project Guardian, please see https://www.justice.gov/ag/page/file/1217186/download.

Dunn 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 Anthony Morfitt 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.