Bobby Lee Ruppel Jr., Felon in Possession, OK 2024

Bobby Lee Ruppel Jr., 37, of Del City, Oklahoma, pleaded guilty Tuesday to being a felon in possession of a firearm—a charge carrying a maximum 10-year prison sentence and a fine of up to $250,000. The plea, entered in U.S. District Court in Muskogee, marks the latest chapter in a federal crackdown on illegal gun ownership in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.

The indictment alleges that on or about November 1, 2016, Ruppel knowingly possessed a firearm that had traveled in interstate commerce—despite being previously convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year in prison. That prior felony conviction strips him of the legal right to own or handle firearms under Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2).

The case began not with a shootout or armed robbery, but a targeted investigation by the Henryetta Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Authorities moved quietly, building a paper trail and forensic timeline that left Ruppel with little room to maneuver. No additional charges related to drug use or violent threats were filed, but prosecutors made clear the violation stood on its own.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Steven P. Shreder accepted the guilty plea and ordered a presentence investigation report, a standard step before sentencing. Ruppel will remain in federal custody until the sentencing hearing, where prosecutors and defense attorneys will argue over time served, criminal history, and risk to the community.

Assistant United States Attorney Kristin Harrington handled the prosecution, underscoring the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s continued focus on disarming violent offenders and felons across eastern Oklahoma. Federal officials stress that even nonviolent firearm possession by prohibited persons remains a top enforcement priority—especially in jurisdictions with high recidivism rates.

Ruppel now faces the cold math of federal sentencing: up to a decade behind bars, a $250,000 fine, or both. His fate rests in the hands of the court, but the plea deal signals the end of the road for one more gun on the loose in the shadows of Oklahoma’s criminal underground.