Apartment Burglary Lands Oklahoma City Man in Federal Prison for 10 Years for Illegal Possession of Ammunition

OKLAHOMA CITY – MICHAEL JOSEPH DIAS, 33, of Oklahoma City, has been sentenced to serve 120 months in federal prison for illegal possession of ammunition after a previous felony conviction, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.

On May 7, 2024, a federal Grand Jury charged Dias with being a felon in possession of ammunition. On October 24, 2024, after a two-day trial, a federal jury found Dias guilty of the charge.

According to evidence presented at trial, on April 2, 2024, officers with the Oklahoma City Police Department (OCPD) responded to an apartment complex following a reported burglary. The victim told officers he found his front door ajar, and attempted to enter his residence, but was stopped by a subject on the other side of the door. The victim eventually gained entry to his apartment, and followed the suspect, later identified as Dias, out into the parking lot of the complex. The victim told officers Dias brandished a firearm from his waistband, and as the victim fled, a gunshot rang out. Officers recovered a spent shell-casing from the parking lot. Dias was located and arrested by OCPD a short time later after a foot pursuit.

Public record reflects that Dias has a lengthy criminal history, with previous felony convictions that include:

• attempted second-degree burglary in Comanche County District Court case number CF-2009-438;
• second-degree burglary in Comanche County District Court case number CF-2009-576;
• attempted first-degree burglary in Oklahoma County District Court case number CF-2014-6249;
• indecent exposure in Oklahoma County District Court case number CF-2018-4626;
• second-degree burglary in Oklahoma County District Court case number CF-2019-1883; and
• felon in possession of a firearm in Oklahoma County District Court case number CF-2019-2104.

At the sentencing hearing on March 4, 2025, U.S. District Judge Joe Heaton sentenced Dias to serve 120 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. In announcing the sentence, the Court noted the dangerous nature of the offense and Dias’s significant criminal history.

This case is the result of an investigation by OCPD and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel Gridley and Travis Leverett prosecuted the case. 

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. This case is also part of “Operation Shots Fired.” Operation Shots Fired targets cases involving individuals who discharge firearms as part of their criminal activity, such as drive-by shootings or when shots are fired during robberies, domestic disputes, or other incidents. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit https://justice.gov/psn and https://justice.gov/usao-wdok.

Reference is made to public filings for additional information.