Waterloo Felon Pleads Guilty to Illegally Possessing Gun

A convicted burglar who illegally possessed a handgun pled guilty on May 16, 2018, in federal court in Cedar Rapids.

Allan James Arceo, age 24, from Waterloo, Iowa, was convicted of one count of possessing a firearm as a felon.  At the plea hearing, Arceo admitted he possessed the loaded firearm in Waterloo on January 1, 2018.  Arceo had previously been convicted in 2014 of burglary in the third degree in Black Hawk County, Iowa.

Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Linda R. Reade will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Arceo remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing.  Arceo faces a possible maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and 3 years of supervised release.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.   Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority.   In October 2017, as part of a series of actions to address this crime trend, Attorney General Sessions announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop a district crime reduction strategy that incorporates the lessons learned since PSN launched in 2001.

The case was investigated by the Waterloo Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dan Chatham.  Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/.  The case file number is 18-CR-02003-LRR. 

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