Illegal Firearm Possession Lands Convicted Felon in Federal Prison for More Than a Decade

OKLAHOMA CITY – DORIEON MYKEL BATES, 29, of Oklahoma City, has been sentenced to serve 138 months in federal prison for illegal possession of a firearm after a previous felony conviction, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.

According to public records, on January 30, 2024, officers with the Oklahoma City Police Department (OCPD) responded to a home after a 911 caller claimed to have heard gunfire. The caller further reported that after the gunshots, a stranger, later identified as Bates, knocked on their door, said he had been involved in a shooting, and claimed someone stole his vehicle. Responding OCPD officers spoke with Bates and took him to a local hospital to be evaluated. Hours later, Bates was returned to the scene, and officers learned his car had never been stolen. The car was recovered nearby, and officers observed bullet holes in the back passenger side of the vehicle, along with a loaded firearm near the driver’s seat. On May 7, 2025, a federal Grand Jury charged Bates with being a felon in possession of a firearm. Bates pleaded guilty on February 4, 2025, and admitted he possessed a firearm despite his previous felony convictions.

Public record further reflects that Bates has multiple previous felony convictions in Oklahoma County, including:

• robbery with a firearm and unauthorized use of a credit card in case number CF-2014-5996;
• domestic abuse by strangulation, domestic abuse (assault and battery) resulting in great bodily injury, maiming, and attempting to prevent a state’s witness from testifying in case number CF-2018-32; and
• assault and battery upon a police or other law officer in case number CF-2018-2242.

At the sentencing hearing on September 23, 2025, Chief U.S. District Judge Timothy D. DeGiusti sentenced Bates to serve 138 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. In announcing his sentence, Judge DeGiusti noted Bates’s extensive criminal history tied to his history of drug abuse.

This case is the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Oklahoma City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Nichols, Jr., prosecuted the case.

Reference is made to public filings for additional information.