Two Men Charged in Separate Cases with Illegal Gun Possession at Airport

OKLAHOMA CITY – Two men have been charged in separate cases with firearms offenses at Will Rogers World Airport, announced U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Downing.

On June 9, 2019, a federal grand jury indicted DESMOND DEMETRIUS ANTWINE, 44, of Oklahoma City, for being a felon in possession of a firearm.  Antwine entered a guilty plea to this charge on October 9, 2019, before U.S. District Judge Joe Heaton.  During his plea hearing, Antwine admitted he possessed a 9mm pistol at Will Rogers World Airport on January 11, 2019, and knew he had been convicted of a felony.

At sentencing, Antwine faces a maximum penalty of ten years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000.  If the court were to determine the Armed Career Criminal Act applies, however, he would face a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison a maximum of life.  Sentencing will take place in approximately 90 days.

In a separate case, a federal grand jury has indicted THOMAS LU NGUYEN, 35, of Los Angeles, California, for being a felon in possession of a firearm and entering an airport area in violation of security requirements.  On October 1, 2019, Nguyen was charged by complaint with these crimes after Transportation Security Administration screeners at Will Rogers World Airport detected a loaded 9mm semi-automatic pistol in his backpack at approximately 5:30 a.m.  According to the indictment returned by the grand jury on October 16, Nguyen "knowingly and willfully entered an aircraft or airport area that serves an air carrier or foreign air carrier with intent to evade security procedures and restrictions . . . ."

If convicted, Nguyen faces a maximum penalty on each count of ten years in prison, three years of supervised release, and fine of up to $250,000.  Sentencing will take place in approximately 90 days.  The public is reminded that these charges are merely allegations and that the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

The Antwine case is the result of an investigation by the Oklahoma City Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives ("ATF").  It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Cárdenas. The Nguyen case is the result of an investigation by the Oklahoma City Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation–Oklahoma City Division, and the ATF.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David P. Petermann.  Both cases are part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses on the most violent offenders and partners with local prevention and re-entry programs for lasting reductions in crime.  For more information, visit https://www.justice.gov/psn.

Reference is made to public filings for more information.