Sioux City Felon Sentenced to Federal Prison for Illegal Gun Possession

A man with a history of burglaries who was found in possession of a firearm, a digital scale and methamphetamine was sentenced today to more than 4 years in federal prison.

Joseph Tapia, age 25, from Sioux City, received the prison term after an August 28, 2024, guilty plea to possession of a firearm by a felon.

Evidence in the case revealed on December 11, 2023, Sioux City Police stopped defendant for operating a bicycle just after midnight, without a headlamp, as required by city code.  Tapia immediately began resisting arrest and attempted to pull away from officers.  Once Tapia was in custody, officers located a fanny pack he was carrying that contained a loaded 9mm pistol, along with a digital scale that contained methamphetamine residue. 

Tapia had previously been convicted of six counts of second-degree burglary and one count of third-degree burglary, in 2017.  Tapia was paroled on his state convictions in 2021.  During his parole, he attended a meeting where he was warned of the consequences of possessing a firearm, and offered access to any services he might need to rebuild his life (employment, mental health counseling, transportation, etc.).  Despite this opportunity, defendant committed the instant federal offense within two years of being discharged from state supervision.  

Tapia was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand to 51 months’ imprisonment (less time served).  He must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

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.

Tapia is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was investigated by the Sioux City, Iowa Police Department and was 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 24-4006.

Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.