Shawn Karr, Firearms Possession, Oklahoma 2023

MUSKOGEE, OK – Shawn Lee Karr, 37, of Howe, Texas, is headed to federal prison after admitting to pawning firearms he wasn’t authorized to sell. Karr received a twelve-month and one-day sentence on Friday for one count of Possession of Stolen Firearms, a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(j). The case, a tangled web of misused federal programs and personal greed, exposes a breach of trust within Oklahoma law enforcement.

Court records show Karr exploited a system designed to equip local police forces. Between 2018 and 2019, while serving as a police officer in Bennington, Bokchito, and Boswell, Oklahoma, Karr pawned department-issued firearms at a Calera, Oklahoma pawn shop. These weren’t personal weapons; they were federally owned, loaned through the Department of Defense’s Defense Logistics Agency’s Law Enforcement Support Office (LESO) and the General Services Administration’s Federal Surplus Personal Property Donation Program.

Federal investigators from the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), the General Services Administration – Office of Inspector General, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) untangled the scheme, with assistance from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigations and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The investigation revealed Karr treated federally-funded equipment as a personal piggy bank, violating the strict guidelines of both the LESO and GSA programs. He pleaded guilty on August 17, 2022.

“The DoD Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) and our partners are committed to safeguarding sensitive property,” stated Gregory P. Shilling, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DCIS’ Southwest Field Office. Shilling’s statement underscores the seriousness of the offense – the compromise of a program intended to support law enforcement, not enrich individual officers. Jamie Willemin, GSA OIG Special Agent in Charge, echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the agency’s commitment to holding accountable those who exploit federal programs for financial gain.

U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Wilson minced no words: “The defendant had no right to pawn the firearms he was issued as part of his employment as a law enforcement officer, and he is now facing the consequences for his actions.” The sentencing sends a clear message that abusing a position of authority and pilfering federal resources will not be tolerated. Chief District Judge Ronald A. White presided over the hearing in Muskogee.

Karr is required to self-report to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility on November 30, 2023, to begin serving his non-parolable sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Kara Traster prosecuted the case. The Grimy Times will continue to follow this case as it progresses through the federal system. The loss of trust in law enforcement, fueled by actions like Karr’s, erodes the foundations of public safety and demands accountability.

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