Sioux City Man on Robbery Spree Sentenced to Federal Prison for Robbery and Gun Charges

 A man who robbed a Sioux City business on September 11, 2019, was sentenced October 27, 2020, to more than 10 years in federal prison.

Noah Pineda, 21, from Sioux City, Iowa, received the prison term after a guilty plea to interference with commerce by robbery, using, carrying, and brandishing a short-barreled rifle during and in relation to the robbery, and possession of a firearm by a domestic abuse misdemeanant. 

Evidence presented by the United States at the detention, change of plea, and sentencing hearings revealed on September 11, 2019, Pineda entered Sarg’s Mini Mart convenience store wearing a hooded sweatshirt and a white mask.  Pineda displayed a shortened rifle, pointed it at the clerk, and demanded money from the cash registers and clerk’s purse.  Pineda grabbed the money out of both registers, took money from the clerk’s purse, and ran from the store. With the assistant of a police K9, Pineda was found hiding in nearby bushes and was arrested.  Pineda admitted to the robbery.  Pineda told officers he hid the gun, a loaded .22 caliber rifle, under a shed in the area where he was found hiding.  Pineda admitted the September 11, 2019, robbery was just one of a number of armed robberies he had committed.  Pineda has a long history of violence that started when he was 12 and includes convictions for domestic assault and domestic abuse assault causing bodily injury.   

Pineda was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Pineda was sentenced to 132 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a 4-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 Project Guardian partners. For more information about Project Guardian, please see https://www.justice.gov/ag/page/file/1217186/download.

The case was investigated by the Sioux City Police Department.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Forde Fairchild.