A man who illegally possessed two firearms was sentenced April 8, 2022, to more than two years in federal prison.
Criston Nunez-Morris, 21, from Sioux City, Iowa, received the prison term after a November 22, 2021, guilty plea to being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm.
Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings showed Nunez-Morris was an unlawful user of marijuana, cocaine, and ecstasy when he knowingly possessed two guns, along with ammunition. The guns were stolen. Nunez-Morris also admitted that he possessed the guns in connection with his felonious drug trafficking. At the time of Nunez-Morris’ arrest, he was in possession of cocaine, marijuana, ecstasy, and a digital scale.
Nunez-Morris was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand. Nunez-Morris was sentenced to 25 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a two-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. Nunez-Morris is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
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.
The case was investigated by the Sioux City Police Department, Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Forde Fairchild.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 21-4024. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.