Chayse Anthony Beard, a 24-year-old resident of Hugo, Oklahoma, has been sentenced to 57 months in federal prison for possessing an unregistered firearm and 57 months for possessing material involving the sexual exploitation of a minor. The sentences will be served concurrently.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Durant Police Department. According to authorities, on July 17, 2024, law enforcement found Beard with two short-barreled firearms that were not registered to him as required by federal law. Investigators also discovered more than 400 images depicting prepubescent minors and children under the age of 12 engaged in sexually explicit conduct on his cell phone.
Beard pleaded guilty to both charges on March 20, 2025. The sentencing hearing was overseen by Chief U.S. District Judge Ronald A. White in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
Beard will remain in custody with the U.S. Marshals Service until he is transferred to a facility designated by the United States Bureau of Prisons to serve his sentence, which does not allow for parole.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Josh Satter and Emily Wittlinger prosecuted the case.
