Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

A woman who provided firearms to others illegally was sentenced on February 9, 2023, to more than a year in federal prison.

Kori Dawn Hobbs, age 41, from Hiawatha, Iowa, received the prison term after pleading guilty to aiding and abetting the possession of firearms by a person convicted of domestic violence.

In a plea agreement, Hobbs admitted that she purchased 22 firearms between May 2019 and August 2021. She also allowed Jae Bernard, age 49, also from Hiawatha, Iowa, access to them despite knowing that he was prohibited from possessing firearms due to a prior domestic abuse conviction. Hobbs was previously convicted of transferring a firearm to a minor in 2021, following an incident where Bernard’s son attempted to sell a firearm to another individual and that individual stole the firearm instead. Bernard’s son was also prohibited from possessing firearms at the time because of a no contact order. Bernard pled guilty to illegally possessing firearms on December 27, 2022, and is awaiting sentencing at a time and date to be determined. Firearms purchased by Hobbs were also recovered in Urbandale and Chicago.

Hobbs was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams. Hobbs was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment. She must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

Hobbs was released on the bond conditions previously set and is to surrender to the United States Marshal.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Emily K. Nydle and investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Cedar Rapids Police Department, the Hiawatha Police Department, the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, the Urbandale Police Department, and the Chicago Police Department.

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.