Sallisaw Man Sentenced for Possession of a Firearm

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Muskogee announced Thursday that Samuel Jason Nutt, 50, of Sallisaw was sentenced to 30 months in prison and three years supervised release for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The charge arose from an investigation by the Sallisaw Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The indictment alleged that on Dec. 29 the defendant, having been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year, knowingly possessed a Chinese, Model 54-1, 7.62 x 25mm caliber pistol, a firearm which had been shipped and transported in interstate commerce.

U.S. Attorney Brian J. Kuester said, “Working with local, state, tribal, and federal law enforcement agencies to combat violent crime is a priority of the Department of Justice and U.S. Attorney’s Offices. One of the federal laws available to us to carry out that priority prohibits convicted felons from possessing firearms. The defendant in this case violated that federal law and is being held accountable accordingly. This joint effort by the Sallisaw Police Department, ATF, and members of this office is an example of interagency team work that occurs on a daily basis in the Eastern District of Oklahoma and across the country. When agencies work together, the public benefits.”

This case was part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative which encourages federal, state, local, and tribal agencies to cooperate in a unified team effort against gun crime, targeting repeat offenders who continually plague their communities, Kuester said.

District Judge Ronald A. White presided over the hearing. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dean Burris represented the United States. The defendant will remain in custody pending transportation to the designated federal facility at which the non-paroleable sentence will be served.

Sally Maxwell, Senior News Director

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