J’Quarius J’Vontay Austin, 18, of Idabel, Oklahoma, has been sentenced to 41 months in federal prison for stealing a firearm from a federally licensed firearms dealer. The sentencing was announced by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The case stems from an investigation involving the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Broken Bow Police Department, and the Idabel Police Department. According to authorities, Austin and others burglarized a gun and pawn shop in Broken Bow on December 23, 2024. During the burglary, they stole 18 firearms and ammunition. Law enforcement recovered four of those stolen firearms while investigating a shootout that took place in Idabel three days after the theft.
Austin pleaded guilty to the charge on March 24, 2025.
“This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).”
The sentencing hearing was overseen by U.S. District Judge John F. Heil III in Muskogee. Austin will remain in custody with the U.S. Marshals Service until he is transported to a federal prison facility to serve his sentence without parole.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Gross prosecuted the case.
