Hawkeye Reporter

Romario Pierre-Louis, a 30-year-old resident of Sioux City, was sentenced to over five years in federal prison following his guilty plea on March 6, 2025. He was charged with possession of a firearm by a felon.

The incident leading to his arrest occurred just after midnight on October 15, 2024. Law enforcement responded to a domestic assault disturbance where Pierre-Louis was reportedly armed and pointing a gun at people. Upon arrival, officers learned from a witness that Pierre-Louis had carried a rifle wrapped in a blanket and several pistols to a nearby residence. The weapons were recovered from the neighbor's house where he attempted to hide them. Pierre-Louis acknowledged that he knew he was prohibited from possessing firearms due to his status as a felon. In 2019, he had been convicted of armed carjacking in Cook County, Illinois, for which he served six years in state prison and had recently been released.

United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand sentenced Pierre-Louis in Sioux City to 63 months’ imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release. There is no parole available in the federal system.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative under the Department of Justice aimed at reducing violent crime through evidence-based strategies. PSN involves collaboration among various stakeholders to identify pressing violent crime issues and develop comprehensive solutions focusing on the most violent offenders while partnering with local prevention and reentry programs.

Pierre-Louis remains in the custody of the United States Marshal until his transfer to federal prison.

The investigation was conducted by the Sioux City Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF) under the United States Department of Justice. Assistant United States Attorney Forde Fairchild prosecuted the case.