Pueblo man sentenced to more than a decade in federal prison for drugs and weapons charges
A 44-year-old Pueblo man was sentenced last week to more than 12 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to weapons and drug charges in March.
Leonard Cordova pleaded guilty to two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm and two counts of distributing a controlled substance. He was sentenced July 12 by United States District Court Judge Regina M. Rodriguez to 151 months in prison.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado, on Sept. 12, 2021, Cordova fired numerous shots from a handgun at an individual in a moving vehicle outside of his house in Pueblo. He was arrested Sept. 15 and released the same day on a $7,500 cash bond.
Just four days after his release on Sept. 19, Cordova, while driving his vehicle in Pueblo, fired a gun at two women in a vehicle near Northern Avenue and Pine Street. The two victims were struck by the gunfire, each suffering a single bullet wound in one leg, and required treatment at a local hospital, according to a Pueblo Police Department arrest affidavit for that case.
Cordova was arrested and again released from jail on Sept. 23 on a $100,000 bond.
Four months later, Cordova was cited for multiple violations of his bond, including tampering with his ankle monitor, drinking alcohol and attempting to contact a victim. He then posted additional bonds totaling nearly $300,000.
On April 15, 2022, Cordova was arrested on federal charges and detained pending trial. He pleaded guilty on March 7 of this year.
As part of his plea agreement, Cordova admitted to unlawfully possessing a firearm in connection to the two September 2021 shootings. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office's release, 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 release. “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.”
Tenth Judicial District Attorney Jeff Chostner told the Chieftain in March that because Cordova pleaded guilty in federal court, the local charges against him based on the same acts have been dismissed.
However, Cordova still has two active cases in Pueblo County — one for felony assault with a deadly weapon and attempted first-degree murder in connection to the incident involving the two women who were shot in September 2021, and another for an alleged act of domestic violence and felony menacing in February 2020.
Cordova is scheduled for a plea hearing in both of those cases on Aug. 4.
Chieftain editor Zach Hillstrom can be reached at zhillstrom@gannett.com or on Twitter @ZachHillstrom. Support local news, subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com.
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This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Pueblo man gets more than a decade in prison on federal charges
