Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Oklahoma City Man Sentenced To Serve a Decade in Federal Prison for Illegal Firearm Possession
OKLAHOMA CITY – Yesterday, DAVID ASHARD SAMILTON, 28, of Oklahoma City, was sentenced to serve 120 months in federal prison for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester. Federal law prohibits convicted felons from possessing firearms or ammunition.
On November 2, 2020, a federal grand jury returned a one-count Indictment that alleged Samilton illegally possessed a firearm. On May 27, 2021, a federal jury found Samilton guilty of the firearms charge. At trial, the jury heard testimony that, on September 13, 2020, the Oklahoma City Police Department was dispatched to a hotel in south Oklahoma City. A hotel employee reported seeing Samilton in a vehicle and in possession of a firearm. Law enforcement searched the vehicle Samilton occupied and located a semi-automatic 9mm caliber pistol underneath his car seat.
Public records reflect that, before September 2020, Samilton had felony convictions for drug dealing, drug possession, larceny of a motor vehicle, discharging a firearm into a dwelling, and illegal firearm possession.
Today, Senior U.S. District Judge Stephen P. Friot sentenced Samilton to serve 120 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. In announcing the sentence, Judge Friot noted the nature and circumstances of the offense and Samilton’s criminal history.
This case is the result of investigations by the Oklahoma City Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorneys Ashley Altshuler and Bow Bottomly prosecuted the case. The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses on the most violent offenders and partners with local prevention and re-entry programs for lasting reductions in crime. For more information, visit https://www.justice.gov/psn.
Reference is made to public filings for more information.