A Sequoyah County resident, Joseph Charles Riddle, 35, of Muldrow, Oklahoma, has been sentenced to eighteen months in prison for two federal firearm offenses. The sentences will be served concurrently.
Riddle pleaded guilty on May 5, 2025, to one count of felon in possession of ammunition and one count of felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. The case resulted from an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives along with the Sequoyah County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators reported that between January 17, 2024, and August 2024, Riddle knowingly possessed multiple firearms—including a pump action rifle, a pump action shotgun, a bolt action rifle—and 15 rounds of ammunition despite having a prior felony conviction. Authorities also found that on January 6, 2025, he knowingly had 20 rounds of ammunition while being legally prohibited from possessing such items due to his criminal record.
The prosecution stated this case falls under Operation Take Back America. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma: “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 was handed down by U.S. District Judge John F. Heil III in Muskogee federal court. Riddle remains in custody with the U.S. Marshals Service until he is transferred to a federal Bureau of Prisons facility to serve his sentence without parole.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lewis M. Reagan and Jonathan E. Soverly prosecuted the case.
