FBI arrests Pueblo man out on six bonds, he now faces federal weapons charges
PUEBLO, Colo, (KRDO) -- Leonard Cordova, the Pueblo man who has posted multiple six-figure bonds and has allegedly committed multiple crimes and is out on bond, now faces federal charges according to the United States District Attorney's Office.
Friday, federal agents arrested Cordova, 43, and he's been charged by criminal complaint with two counts of prohibited person in possession of a firearm and ammunition, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(g)(1).
Those weapons charges stem from two incidents in September 2021. According to court documents obtained by 13 Investigates, Leonard Cordova was arrested on September 15 for illegal possession and discharge of a firearm, a Class 6 felony. Days later, he was released on a $7,500 cash bond.
Four days after being released from jail the first time, Cordova was arrested for attempted first-degree murder on September 19. Cordova allegedly shot at two women in a car near Northern Ave and Pine St. in Pueblo. On September 23, he was released from jail on a $100,000 bond.
In the arrest affidavit, one of the women who was shot told officers that Cordova sent her a video of him removing his ankle monitor. He then sent her a text message saying, "I'm coming for you."
Later that night, Cordova allegedly shot multiple rounds into the woman's car and proceeded to chase her and another woman to Parkview Medical Center, where the two women admitted themselves to the hospital with gunshot wounds to the leg.
Court records show around four months later, in January, he again bonded out after posting nearly $300,000 in cash bond related to allegations of tampering with his ankle monitor, drinking, and attempting to contact a victim.
On April 6, 13 Investigates learned that Cordova's probation officer was asking the courts to revoke his probation.
In a record obtained by 13 Investigates, his probation officer says, "the probation Department respectfully recommends that the probation sentence granted to the defendant be revoked." He adds, "if the defendant has been found guilty of any or all charges in the pending matter before the Court, he be sentenced to whatever term of incarceration the Court deems reasonable."
In recent months, Cordova has been at the center of multiple 13 Investigates reports detailing the addition of charges without jail time for the three time convicted felon. In September, Jeremy Loew, a Colorado Springs attorney, told 13 Investigates a judge must grant bond to any charges that are less than a first-degree-murder charge or a probation revocation. The latter was never granted by the courts.
According to the U.S District Attorney's office, each count charged in the complaint carries a potential penalty of up to ten years in prison and/or a fine of up to $250,000.
"In federal court, you have really two options. You can be released on a personal recognizance bond saying 'hey come back or you can be held without bond until the case is resolved,' and I really do believe that because of KRDO's reporting on this case, the feds decided to get involved and they are holding him without bond," Loew said.
The United States District Attorney's office said Cordova will be held in federal custody pending the weapons charges. Loew added that the difference between federal and state charges can lie in the amount of time served.
"Federal charges, unlike state charges, you do serve almost day for day in the federal penitentiary. It may be reduced down to 75 or 80 percent of your sentence, but you are serving far more than the 1/3 or 50 percent that you'd be serving on state charges," Loew said.
The Pueblo Police Department and the FBI worked together on this investigation.
