Bobby Von Rogers, Felon in Possession of a Firearm, OK 2019

BOBBY VON ROGERS, 38, of Moore, is behind bars for a decade after being sentenced to 120 months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm—a crime that erupted amid a violent domestic confrontation. The sentence, handed down May 10, 2019, by U.S. District Judge David L. Russell, exceeded federal sentencing guidelines and slammed the door on any leniency, citing Rogers’s escalating pattern of abuse.

Rogers had been indicted by a federal grand jury on September 5, 2018, for possessing a Smith & Wesson 9mm pistol on April 10, 2018—despite prior felony convictions that legally barred him from owning any firearm. He pleaded guilty on November 29, 2018, but the court didn’t stop there. Evidence revealed he had become violently abusive toward the mother of his newborn child just weeks after her delivery, escalating to a life-threatening assault caught on record.

When the victim’s mother arrived at Rogers’s residence to intervene, he didn’t back down—he doubled down. Witnesses testified Rogers slammed the woman’s head into a car, then pressed a loaded gun to her skull, coldly asking, “Are you ready to die?” The chilling moment was recounted in open court, painting a picture of a man unmoored by rage and emboldened by access to a deadly weapon.

Judge Russell imposed the statutory maximum sentence—10 full years—marking a clear departure from the 70-to-87-month range recommended by the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines. The court declared Rogers a danger to any woman he encounters, emphasizing the nexus between gun violence and domestic abuse. Protective orders, previously filed against Rogers, were cited as part of a growing trail of red flags ignored until violence exploded.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester made no apologies for the aggressive prosecution. “Serious penalties await those who possess a firearm after a felony conviction,” Troester said. “When domestic violence is involved, we will seek an appropriate sentence to prevent further violence and protect victims from future abuse.” The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles W. Brown and built through collaboration between the Moore Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives.

This conviction is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a DOJ initiative reinvigorated in October 2017 to target violent crime with data-driven strategies. In the Western District of Oklahoma, federal prosecutors have zeroed in on gun crimes tied to domestic violence, treating them not as isolated incidents but as systemic threats. Court filings confirm Rogers’s history and the evidentiary backbone of the case—proving once again that when guns and rage collide, federal time follows.