Muskogee Man Pleads Guilty To Firearm Possession

MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, announced today that CHARLES RAY BENEFIELD, age 32, of Muskogee, Oklahoma, pled guilty to FELON IN POSSESSION OF FIREARM, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2).

The charge arose from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Violent Crime Task Force.  The defendant was indicted in March, 2016.

The Indictment alleged that on or about December  30, 2015, within the Eastern District of Oklahoma, the defendant, having been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year, did knowingly possess in and affecting commerce, a firearm which had been shipped and transported in interstate commerce.

The Honorable Kimberly E. West, Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, in Muskogee, accepted the guilty plea and ordered the completion of a presentence report.  Sentencing will be scheduled following its completion.  The defendant will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing.

The statutory range of punishment is not more than 10 years imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine or both.

Assistant United States Attorney Tim Hammer represented the United States.