Hawkeye Reporter

A Waterloo woman, LaDonna Henderson, was sentenced on July 28, 2025, to 37 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to eight counts of making false statements during the purchase of a firearm and one count of possession of a firearm by an unlawful user of a controlled substance. The sentencing took place before United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams in Cedar Rapids.

Henderson, age 28, admitted to purchasing nine firearms and attempting to buy a tenth over six weeks in 2023. She made false claims regarding her drug use and the actual buyer of the firearms. According to court records, Henderson provided these weapons to her boyfriend at the time, Christopher Hoover, who was prohibited from possessing firearms due to his felony status and drug use. Hoover subsequently trafficked some of these firearms.

Law enforcement recovered four of the guns purchased by Henderson from felons or drug users. Hoover was prosecuted for his involvement with these firearms and received a sentence of 93 months’ imprisonment on September 17, 2024. Four others—Jayquine Steele (57 months), Jeremy Phillips (57 months), Patrelle Green-Bowman (105 months), and Walter Smith (37 months)—were also sentenced for related offenses involving possession of these weapons.

After serving her prison term, Henderson will be subject to three years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. She has been released on bond until she surrenders to the Bureau of Prisons at a date yet to be determined.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kyndra Lundquist following an investigation by a Federal Task Force including the Waterloo Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office, and Cedar Falls Police Department.

"This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone," according to officials. "On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results."