Man in prison for federal gun charges gets 5 more years after pleading guilty in Pueblo
A Pueblo man already in federal prison for weapons offenses has been sentenced to an additional five years for local charges.
Leonard Cordova, 44, pleaded guilty Friday in two Pueblo cases, one from 2020 and one from 2021.
In the 2020 case, Cordova pleaded guilty to one count of trespassing with intent to commit a crime in a plea agreement with 10th Judicial District Attorney Jeff Chostner. In exchange for his plea, all other counts, including three counts of assault with a deadly weapon, one count of robbery, and one count of burglary, were dropped. For his plea of guilty in the case, Cordova was sentenced to 18 months in the Colorado Department of Corrections.
The 2020 charges stem from an incident on Feb. 15, 2020, in which Cordova kicked down the door of a relative's house, went inside and broke things. He then assaulted family members outside the house and struck a family member's car with his own vehicle, which a family member stated they believed to be an attempt to seriously injure them.
During the altercation, Cordova was apparently very intoxicated.
In the 2021 case, Cordova pleaded guilty to assault with a deadly weapon for firing a handgun at two women in a vehicle near Northern Avenue and Pine Street. Both women were injured with through-and-through gunshot wounds.
Eleven other counts were dismissed in the case, including multiple counts of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, illegal discharge of a firearm, and possession of a weapon by a previous offender.
For his plea of guilty to a solitary assault charge, Cordova was sentenced to five years in the state DOC.
Cordova is currently also serving 12 ½ years in federal prison for two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm and two counts of distributing a controlled substance after being sentenced in July by United States District Court Judge Regina M. Rodriguez. His Pueblo sentence will be served consecutively with his federal sentence.
As part of his federal plea agreement, Cordova admitted to unlawfully possessing a firearm in connection to two September 2021 shootings. According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, he also admitted that on Oct. 19, 2020, he distributed 221 grams of methamphetamine, and on Feb. 19, 2021, distributed 98 grams of heroin.
“Pueblo is a safer place with violent, drug-dealing felons like Leonard Cordova off the streets,” U.S. Attorney Cole Finegan said in the news release following Cordova's federal sentencing. “We are grateful for our partners at the FBI, DEA, and Pueblo Police Department whose hard work and dedication make a real difference for the citizens of Colorado.”
“Cases like this one exemplify what the federal system can bring to our local partners: This repeat offender will no longer threaten the Pueblo community,” said FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Mark Michalek. “The FBI will continue to work with the Pueblo Police Department to further our shared goals.”
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This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Leonard Cordova sentenced to five years in prison for Pueblo charges
