MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Rien Keith Irving, age 21, of Muskogee, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 15 months imprisonment for Felon In Possession Of Firearm & Ammunition, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2); and to 60 months imprisonment for Possession Of A Firearm In Furtherance Of A Drug Trafficking Crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A), to be served consecutively. The charges arose from an investigation by the Tahlequah Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The Indictment alleged that from on or about December 9, 2016, within the Eastern District of Oklahoma, Rien Keith Irving, having been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year, knowingly possessed in and affecting commerce, a firearm and ammunition which had been shipped and transported in interstate commerce.
Additionally, the Indictment alleged that on or about December 9, 2016, within the Eastern District of Oklahoma, the defendant knowingly possessed a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime for which he may be prosecuted in a court of the United States.
United States Attorney Brian J. Kuester said, “Fighting against violent crime is a priority of the Department of Justice and the U. S. Attorney’s Office. The business of drug dealing is inherently a violent endeavor. When a gun is possessed to further a drug trafficking crime the likelihood of violence is even greater. Because of the professional and thorough work of the Tahlequah Police Department and the ATF, this office was able to successfully prosecute Irving and stop potential violence before it occurred."
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 hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Dean Burris represented the United States. The defendant will remain in custody pending transportation to the designated federal facility at which the non-paroleable sentence will be served.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
