Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

OKLAHOMA CITY — Last week, Lequevin Kelley, 23, of Oklahoma City, was sentenced to serve 144 months in federal prison for being a drug user in possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.

On Sept. 20, 2022, a federal grand jury returned a one-count Indictment against Kelley, charging him with being a drug user in possession of a firearm. According to an affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, on Aug. 25, 2022, law enforcement was actively seeking Kelley due to multiple arrest warrants out of Oklahoma County. The affidavit alleges Kelley was spotted leaving an Oklahoma City motel by members of the U.S. Marshals Service, who surveilled Kelley as he drove his motorcycle onto Interstate 35. Soon after, Kelley led law enforcement on a high-speed chase until he wrecked his motorcycle and continued to flee on foot, when he was observed throwing a silver revolver onto the ground. During the foot pursuit, Kelley fled across I-44, causing officers to chase after him down an active highway. He was taken into custody shortly after, and Oklahoma City Police recovered the firearm. According to the complaint, Kelley admitted that he had used PCP, a controlled substance, earlier that day.

On Feb. 9, Kelley pleaded guilty to the Indictment. As part of his plea, Kelley admitted to possessing the firearm, knowing he was an unlawful user of a controlled substance.

At the sentencing hearing on Nov. 20, U.S. District Judge Stephen P. Friot sentenced Kelley to serve 144 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. In announcing his sentence, the court noted Kelley’s long history of violent criminal behavior, including using firearms in several armed robberies and fleeing from law enforcement on multiple occasions.

This case is the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the U.S. Marshals Service and the Oklahoma City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chelsie A. Pratt and David McCrary prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a Department of Justice program to reduce violent crime. In October 2017, the Department of Justice announced the reinvigoration of Project Safe Neighborhoods and directed U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop crime-reduction strategies that incorporate lessons federal law enforcement has learned since the program’s launch in 2001.

###