Laura Gema Carroll, a 36-year-old resident of Tahlequah, Oklahoma, has been sentenced to 15 months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. The sentencing was announced by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
Carroll pleaded guilty to the charge on March 19, 2025. Investigators reported that on June 12, 2024, she was found with a semi-automatic pistol and five rounds of ammunition after having previously been convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year in prison. The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives along with the Tahlequah Police Department.
“This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results,” according to the press release.
The sentencing hearing was overseen by Chief U.S. District Judge Ronald A. White at the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kevin Gross and T. Cameron McEwen prosecuted the case.
