Waterloo Teen Sentenced to Federal Prison for Possessing Guns

A convicted felon from Waterloo who possessed a gun was sentenced June 11, 2026, to two years in federal prison.

Oliver Lee Buls, 19, from Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison term after a January 16, 2026, guilty plea to Possession of a Firearm by a Felon.

Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings showed that Buls was the passenger in a car that police officers stopped in May 2025. Officers searched the car after smelling the odor of marijuana. During the search, officers found a loaded Glock 9mm handgun underneath Buls' seat. The gun was loaded with a high-capacity magazine. Officers also found a loaded Palmetto State Dagger 9mm handgun under the hood of the car. The Palmetto also contained a high-capacity magazine and had a machine gun conversion device, or "switch," affixed to it. The "switch" allowed the gun to operate as a fully automatic firearm. Buls' DNA was found on both guns. Buls was part of a social media group, which included juveniles, that posted videos of themselves playing with guns. Buls was on probation at the time he possessed the guns after being convicted of the felony offense of interference with official acts with a firearm. His probation for that conviction was revoked.

Buls was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Buls was sentenced to 24 months' imprisonment. He was ordered to pay a $100 special assessment fee. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ashley Corkery and investigated by the Waterloo Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol,

Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.plLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link..

The case file number is 25-CR-2038.

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