A Waterloo felon who had a handgun under the seat of the car he was driving was sentenced today to more than eight years in federal prison.

Fredrick Purifoy, age 28, from Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison term after an August 24, 2009, guilty plea to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He is the second Waterloo felon in the last two weeks to be sentenced on a federal gun charge.

On February 9, 1999, Purifoy was convicted in Black Hawk County of four felonies – two counts of Robbery 2nd; Burglary 3rd; and Kidnaping 3rd. On September 28, 2008, Purifoy was driving a car going the wrong way on a one-way street near the Police Department in Waterloo. There was a short chase by police before Purifoy stopped the car. When Purifoy was taken from the car, a loaded .22 caliber semiautomatic pistol was found sticking out from under the driver’s seat. After his arrest, Purifoy repeatedly told a companion “I’m going Fed” and unsuccessfully tried to get his companion to take responsibility for the gun.

“The defendant’s prediction about ‘going Fed’ was absolutely right,” said United States Attorney Stephanie M. Rose. “We are working closely with Waterloo and other state and local law enforcement to use tough federal gun laws to help fight the illegal possession and use of firearms.”

Purifoy was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge Linda R. Reade. Purifoy was sentenced to 104 months’ imprisonment, and a special assessment of $100 was imposed. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. Purifoy is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Bob Teig as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a cooperative local, state, and federal program aimed at the enhanced prosecution of gun crimes. The case was investigated by the Waterloo Police Department.

Court file information is available at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is CR 09-2019.

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