Richard Dale Lea, Felon in Possession of a Firearm, Oklahoma 2024

Muskogee, OK - In a move to reduce gun violence and make neighborhoods safer, a Tahlequah resident was sentenced to federal prison for illegally possessing a firearm.

Richard Dale Lea, 43, was sentenced to 37 months in prison for one count of Felon in Possession of a Firearm, announced the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma.

The charges arose from an investigation by the Tahlequah Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Lea pleaded guilty to the charge on February 14, 2024.

According to investigators, on April 9, 2023, Lea was found in possession of two loaded semi-automatic pistols during the search of a vehicle by Tahlequah Police. At the time of the investigation, Lea had previously been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year.

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.

The Honorable John C. Coughenour, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington, sitting by assignment, presided over the hearing in Muskogee.

Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan E. Soverly represented the government. Lea will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshal pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edok/pr/tahlequah-resident-sentenced-federal-firearm-charge-0