Tulsa felon sentenced to 15 years for strangling wife and pistol-whipping her

TULSA, Okla. — A prior felon was sentenced in federal court here to 15 years in prison for strangling his wife until she lost consciousness and pistol-whipping her with a loaded firearm he was prohibited from possessing.

The defendant, identified in the Justice Department announcement as a convicted felon living in Tulsa, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon. U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson announced the sentence on May 12, 2026. The court also imposed three years of supervised release following the prison term.

The conduct involved both domestic assault and illegal firearm possession. The defendant used a loaded handgun to strike his wife after strangling her, according to the facts outlined in the Justice Department release. Federal law bars anyone with a prior felony conviction from possessing any firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate commerce.

The sentence changes the defendant's status from pretrial detention or release conditions to immediate incarceration in the Federal Bureau of Prisons. The 15-year term begins on the date of sentencing. Upon completion, the lifetime prohibition on firearm possession remains in effect, and any violation during supervised release carries its own penalties including potential additional prison time.

Downstream, the conviction requires the Bureau of Prisons to designate a facility and calculate good-time credit under federal rules. The U.S. Probation Office must prepare a supervised-release plan that includes domestic-violence monitoring and prohibits all firearm contact.

The case also updates the defendant's criminal record in the National Crime Information Center, which state and local law-enforcement agencies consult for future encounters. Federal prosecutors in the Northern District of Oklahoma must now close the case file while monitoring compliance with the judgment.

This sentencing follows a pattern of federal enforcement in the Northern District of Oklahoma targeting illegal firearm possession by convicted felons who commit acts of domestic violence. The Department of Justice has brought similar cases under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1), the statute that prohibits felons from possessing firearms or ammunition.