Waterloo Woman Sentenced to Federal Prison for Buying Gun for Boyfriend

A Waterloo woman who bought guns for her boyfriend was sentenced February 19, 2026, to one year in federal prison.

Arryel Skye Waters, age 24, of Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison sentence after a September 4, 2025, guilty plea to one count of false statement during purchase of a firearm.

Evidence at the sentencing and plea hearings showed that in July 2023, Waters attempted to purchase a gun from a business in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Waters' boyfriend, who was 17 at the time, went with her to the store. Employees at the store felt Waters was not being truthful about who she was buying the gun for, so they denied the purchase of the gun. Waters then left the business and travelled to another business in Cedar Falls. This time, her boyfriend stayed in the car. Waters went inside and purchased a Glock firearm. When she filled out the paperwork to purchase the gun, she noted she was buying the gun for herself. In reality, Waters was buying the gun for her boyfriend. Waters and her boyfriend were also both marijuana users at the time.

In November 2023, Waters was working as a delivery driver. Employees at one of the businesses she delivered to made comments to her that Waters relayed to her boyfriend. Waters' boyfriend confronted employees with the gun Waters had purchased for him. The boyfriend was later arrested and charged with multiple counts, including felon in possession of a firearm. Waters boyfriend had a prior felony conviction for burglary which prevented him from possessing firearms.

Waters was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by Chief United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams. Waters was sentenced to 12 months' and one day imprisonment. She was also ordered to pay a $100 special assessment fee. Waters 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 L. Corkery and investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco, and Explosives, the Cedar Falls Police Department, and the Waterloo Police Department. 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 24-CR-2043.

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