Joseph Charles Riddle, a 35-year-old resident of Muldrow, Oklahoma, has been sentenced to eighteen months in federal prison on two counts: Felon in Possession of Ammunition and Felon in Possession of Firearm and Ammunition. The sentences will run concurrently.
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives together with the Sequoyah County Sheriff’s Office. On May 5, 2025, Riddle entered a guilty plea to both charges.
Investigators found that between January 17, 2024, and August 2024, Riddle possessed multiple firearms—a pump action rifle, a pump action shotgun, a bolt action rifle—and 15 rounds of ammunition. Authorities also reported that on January 6, 2025, he knowingly had another 20 rounds of ammunition despite previous felony convictions that made such possession illegal.
The 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 hearing was presided over by U.S. District Judge John F. Heil III in Muskogee. Riddle remains in custody pending transfer to a designated federal facility where he will serve his non-paroleable sentence.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lewis M. Reagan and Jonathan E. Soverly prosecuted the case.
