MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, announced today that Kent Matthew Stapp, age 34, of Okmulgee County, Oklahoma was found guilty by a federal jury of one count of Felon in Possession of a Firearm & Ammunition. The jury trial began on Monday, March 13, 2023, and concluded on the same day with the guilty verdict.
During the trial, the United States presented evidence that on Feb. 11, 2022, local law enforcement in Okmulgee, Oklahoma stopped Kent Matthew Stapp’s vehicle for a traffic violation and discovered that he had outstanding arrest warrants. When officers attempted to arrest Stapp, he tried to flee. Officers were able to prevent Stapp’s escape and take him into custody. The evidence included body camera footage of the arrest, wherein the defendant, a convicted felon, was shown to be in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
The guilty verdict was the result of an investigation by the Okmulgee County Sheriff’s Office, the Okmulgee Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma prosecuted the case due to the federal crime of a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition and because the defendant in this case is a member of a federally recognized Indian tribe and the crime occurred in Okmulgee County, within the boundaries of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Reservation and within the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The Honorable Ronald A. White, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma in Muskogee, presided over the trial and ordered the completion of a presentence report. Sentencing will be scheduled following completion of the report. Stapp was remanded to the custody of the United States Marshal pending the imposition of sentencing.
Assistant United States Attorneys Genevieve Ozark and Jarrod Leaman represented the United States.