U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester | U.S. Department of Justice
A pilot from Oklahoma City has pleaded guilty to the interstate transportation of a firearm while under indictment. The U.S. Attorney, Robert J. Troester, announced that Aiman Sobhy Elkhatib, aged 31, entered the plea on January 9.
Elkhatib was indicted by a federal Grand Jury on June 17, 2024. The two-count Superseding Indictment charged him with transporting a firearm while under indictment and bringing in certain aliens. According to public records, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents received information on April 25, 2024, about an aircraft that unlawfully entered the United States from Mexico without undergoing customs inspection. The aircraft was found at Sundance Airport in Yukon, Oklahoma, occupied by Elkhatib and another individual. Upon searching the aircraft, agents seized a firearm. At that time, Elkhatib was already under criminal indictment in Oklahoma County District Court for larceny of an automobile, second-degree burglary, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
Elkhatib admitted to flying from Mexico through Texas to Yukon with knowledge of the firearm onboard when he pleaded guilty to Count 1 of the Superseding Indictment.
Elkhatib could face up to five years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000 upon sentencing.
The investigation involved multiple agencies including HSI, Customs and Border Protection, Oklahoma Highway Patrol, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the Air and Marine Operations Center. Assistant U.S. Attorney Bow Bottomly is handling prosecution.
Further details can be found in public filings related to this case.
