Keith Ray Morgan Pleads Guilty to Firearm Possession

Keith Ray Morgan, 34, of Wilburton, Oklahoma, stood before federal judges and admitted his guilt in a cold, hard truth: a felon caught with a firearm. Morgan pleaded guilty to Felon In Possession Of Firearm, a federal crime punishable by up to 10 years behind bars and a fine of $250,000. The charge, filed under Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2), seals his fate as another name in the growing roster of armed ex-cons caught back in the game.

The crime dates back to August 9, 2017, when Morgan, already burdened with a prior conviction carrying more than a year of prison time, knowingly possessed a New England Firearms Pardner Model 12-gauge shotgun—serial number NS356513. That weapon, like so many others flooding rural crime scenes, had crossed state lines before landing in his hands, triggering federal jurisdiction and a harsher sentence. Its presence wasn’t accidental. It was in and affecting interstate commerce, the indictment states—legalese for a gun that traveled far to arm a man who shouldn’t have touched one.

The bust didn’t come from a shootout or a robbery call. It unfolded through dogged police work by the Latimer County Sheriff’s Office, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, and the District 16 Drug Task Force—all backed by the muscle of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. No dramatic raid. No bloodshed this time. Just cold files, forensic tracing, and the slow grind of law enforcement closing in on another repeat offender playing with fire.

Morgan entered his guilty plea before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kimberly E. West in the federal courthouse in Muskogee, a building that has seen its share of similar cases. No jury needed. No theatrics. Judge West accepted the plea without hesitation and ordered a presentence investigation report—a bureaucratic step before sentencing, but one that will dig into Morgan’s past, his pattern of behavior, and whether this was a one-off lapse or part of a deeper criminal rhythm.

For the government, the case was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Dean Burris, a veteran in federal firearms prosecutions. His presence in the courtroom underscores the seriousness with which the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma treats illegal gun possession—especially when the holder has already paid debt to society and broken the rules again.

Morgan now waits in legal limbo. The maximum 10-year sentence looms, but so might a shorter term. What’s certain is that his choices have backed him into a corner where freedom is slipping away. In a state where gun rights are fiercely defended, Morgan’s case is a stark reminder: once a felon, always watched—and the second trigger you pull might be the one that locks the cell door behind you.