Chaston Fox, Felon in Possession of Firearm, Iowa 2020

Waterloo, IA – May 7, 2020

Two Waterloo men, Chaston Fox and Jayontae Gates, were sentenced to federal prison for gun-related charges. Fox, 27, and Gates, 19, both from Waterloo, Iowa, pleaded guilty on January 15, 2020, to charges related to the possession of firearms in an area where shots were fired.

According to the plea agreements, Fox was found walking near a bag containing marijuana, a digital scale, and baggies, as well as a Ruger .22 caliber revolver. Fox was prohibited from possessing a firearm due to a prior felony conviction for theft in the first degree. Gates, on the other hand, was located in the area of the gunfire entering a nearby apartment, where law enforcement recovered a Ruger .22 caliber pistol and found live .22 caliber ammunition in his pockets.

Fox was sentenced to 47 months in prison, with a three-year term of supervised release. Gates received an 18-month prison sentence, also with a three-year term of supervised release. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Liz Dupuich and the Federal Task Force, which consisted 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.

The case was part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program aimed at reducing violent crime through the identification of pressing issues in the community and the development of comprehensive solutions. Additionally, the case was part of Project Guardian, a signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws.

The Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program focuses on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime. Project Guardian enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes, as well as improving information-sharing when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm.

Chaston Fox and Jayontae Gates were sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams. The case file number is 19-CR-2077-CJW. For more information, visit https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA for updates on this and other cases.

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