Federal govt. prosecuted more than 60 Pueblo cases involving violent crimes, drugs since 2014

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) -- In an exclusive interview with KRDO13 Investigates, Pueblo County District Attorney Jeff Chostner says the federal government getting involved in violent crimes and drug distribution cases has been vital to addressing public safety in the Steel City.

Chostner says the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Colorado has prosecuted more than 60 cases since 2014 in Pueblo and has garnered significant prison sentences in the federal system for repeat offenders.

Some of these cases have recently been finished in the federal court system with multi-year sentences handed down. Those cases include:

Leonard Cordova was sentenced to 151 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. Cordova was charged with an attempted murder in Pueblo in October 2021. He was released on multiple six-figure bonds and was later arrested by the FBI.

Thomas Nededog was recently sentenced to 96 months in federal prison after being charged with possession of a weapon by a previous offender and robbery in Pueblo. Pueblo PD says due to his extensive violent history and gang involvement, these cases were adopted by the FBI Safe Streets Task Force, and federal charges were levied against him.

Eduardo Montoya was recently sentenced to 84 months in federal prison after being charged with possession of a weapon by a previous offender and robbery. Like Nededog, Pueblo PD says Montoya was connected to a series of armed robberies, and due to his criminal history and gang involvement, he was arrested by the FBI and federal charges were placed on him.

Bryce Ming was recently sentenced to 240 months in federal prison for his involvement in a dangerous crime spree turned officer-involved shooting in Pueblo County in June 2022. Ming pleaded guilty in federal court to attempted homicide of a police officer. Ming was on parole release from prison at the time of the crime spree and shooting.

Kenneth Baca was recently sentenced to 192 months in federal prison for distributing drugs in Pueblo. Pueblo PD says Baca was already on federal probation when he once again re-offended by being arrested with a large amount of drugs. They say due to his extensive history with drugs, federal charges were placed on him.

John Cruz was recently sentenced to 120 months in federal prison for possession of a weapon by a previous offender and drug distribution. Pueblo PD says Cruz was arrested with a large amount of narcotics and a firearm. After originally being charged with state crimes, federal charges were placed afterward.

Angel Castro was sentenced in 2021 to 120 months in federal prison for possession of a weapon by a previous offender. Pueblo PD says while he was being prosecuted in the state court system, additional evidence linked him to an attempted murder in Pueblo and charges were then filed in federal court.

Chad Shepard was recently sentenced to 60 months in federal prison. Police say he is a white supremacist gang member with an extensive criminal history along with gang involvement. Police arrested him with a large amount of drugs and four firearms in his possession.

Joseph Carrilo was sentenced to 180 months in federal prison in 2020 for drug distribution and possession of a weapon by a previous offender. Pueblo PD says he is a known gang member with an extensive criminal history. Police say a search warrant was executed on his vehicle which produced a large amount of narcotics and a fully automatic pistol.

Sean Pearce was recently sentenced to 120 months in federal prison for drugs and being a felon in possession of a weapon. KRDO13 Investigates previously reported on Pearce being involved in disposing of the body of Amber Deck, who was murdered in Pueblo in 2021. After Pearce was released from state prison, the federal government charged him after he was found with a large amount of methamphetamine and a pistol.

These ten cases are just some of the trips repeat offenders in Pueblo have taken to the federal courthouse in Denver to be prosecuted. Pueblo PD says roughly another dozen cases are currently being prosecuted and those people have not yet been sentenced.

"The feds get a bigger bang for the buck than what we do under state charges because they have a minimum time that federal prisoners have to spend based on the charges that have been preferred against them," DA Chostner said.

Chostner is speaking about the differences in sentencing laws in the federal system and in Colorado law. In Colorado, someone convicted of a non-violent crime comes with a requirement of serving at least 50% of their sentence. For a violent crime, that requirement is 75%. However, Chostner says too often those laws are not enforced and violent criminals are serving 50% or even less of their sentence handed down by a judge.

"People will spend a longer period of time in federal prison than they will in state prison," DA Chostner said. "They tend to go out of state. They'll be in prison either in Atlanta, Georgia or Montgomery, Alabama, sometimes in California. So if you're dealing with a gang-related case, the distance between Pueblo and the federal prison tends to enhance our ability to keep them away from further criminal acts."

The Pueblo County DA says their ability to take cases involving guns, drugs like fentanyl, and attempted murders has helped their ability to keep violent crime down compared to what it would be if these people were on the streets of Pueblo.

"I think the federal system is much more secure as far as public safety is concerned. But I've said this, whether it's officer-involved shootings, whether it's homicide, drive-by shootings, the majority of those cases are committed by people who are out on some condition of release, and we need to address that," DA Chostner said.

The Pueblo Police Department agrees that the strong, tight-knit relationship with the federal government has been extremely beneficial in addressing public safety needs. In a statement, they said:

“The Pueblo Police Department is appreciative of our strong working relationship with federal law enforcement agencies. It is through these relationships and cooperation that we have obtained major federal convictions for several defendants. The Pueblo Police Department’s participation in the FBI Safe Streets Task Force and other federal task forces are beneficial to the safety and wellbeing of the Pueblo community.  These federal law enforcement relationships have been effective in addressing crime in Pueblo and will continue to be in the future."

-- Franklyn Ortega, Pueblo Police Department spokesperson