Oklahoma City Man Sentenced to Serve 84 Months in Federal Prison for Illegal Firearm Possession Following Domestic Violence Call

OKLAHOMA CITY – GREGORY LAMONT BRIGHT, 37, of Oklahoma City, has been sentenced to serve 84 months in federal prison for illegal possession of firearms after a previous felony conviction, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.

On February 8, 2024, a federal grand jury returned a two-count Indictment against Bright, charging him with being a felon in possession of firearms and witness tampering. According to public record, on May 12, 2023, officers with the Oklahoma City Police Department were dispatched to the leasing office of a local apartment on a reported domestic violence incident. Officers spoke with the victim in the office, who told authorities Bright slapped her and then pushed her onto a bed and strangled her with his hands until she believes she lost consciousness. Bright then left the apartment. Officers observed bruising on the victim’s neck and face, and the victim asked police to make sure the defendant was no longer in her apartment. Oklahoma City Police searched the victim’s residence and found Bright concealing himself in a bathroom. Officers also found a handgun and a shotgun in the apartment, which Bright later admitted to possessing.

Bright was arrested, and in the days that followed, he made several phone calls to the victim in an attempt to convince the victim not to testify against him and claim the firearms belonged to her. Bright also spoke with his friends and family members, instructing them to also try to influence the victim to change her story. 

On May 15, 2024, Bright pleaded guilty to Count 1 of the Indictment and admitted he possessed two firearms despite his previous felony conviction.

At the sentencing hearing on October 24, 2024, U.S. District Judge Bernard M. Jones sentenced Bright to serve 84 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. In announcing his sentence, Judge Jones noted the nature and circumstances of the offense, along with Bright’s violent criminal history.  Public record reflects that Bright holds previous felony convictions, including convictions for illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in Oklahoma County District Court case number CF-2015-6513 and at least one felony conviction for robbery out of Michigan.

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. Attorneys Mary E. Walters and Jackson D. Eldridge prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a Department of Justice program to reduce violent crime. In October 2017, the Department announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop crime-reduction strategies that incorporate lessons federal law enforcement has learned since the program’s launch in 2001. This case is also part of “Operation 922,” the Western District of Oklahoma’s implementation of PSN, which prioritizes prosecution of federal crimes connected to domestic violence. For more information about PSN, please visit https://justice.gov/psn and https://justice.gov/usao-wdok.

Reference is made to public filings for additional information.