Waterloo’s Darren Ackerman faced a grim reality as he was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for his role in a harrowing armed standoff. The 39-year-old, from Waterloo, Iowa, pleaded guilty on August 22, 2022, to being a felon in possession of firearms.
On October 25, 2020, Ackerman barricaded himself inside a residence with a small child, armed with stolen firearms and narcotics. He refused to open the door for police, leading them to break through to rescue the child. Inside, authorities found dozens of rounds of ammunition and five stolen firearms, alongside drugs.
Ackerman’s past criminal history in Iowa included burglary, theft, and narcotics-related offenses. The sentence, handed down by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams in Cedar Rapids, also includes a $100 fine and mandatory restitution. Ackerman was ordered to serve 180 months behind bars followed by a five-year term of supervised release.
Assistant United States Attorney Liz Dupuich prosecuted the case, with support from a Federal Task Force involving local police departments and federal agencies. The incident is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which aims to reduce violent crime and gun violence.
The defendant is currently in the custody of the United States Marshal’s Service awaiting transport to a federal prison. For more information on the case, visit https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is 21-cr-2023.
Follow updates and news from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
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Key Facts
- State: Iowa
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime|Public Corruption|Weapons
- Source: Official Source ↗
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