J’Quarius J’Vontay Austin, an 18-year-old resident of Idabel, Oklahoma, has been sentenced to 41 months in prison after pleading guilty to stealing a firearm from a federally licensed firearms dealer. The sentencing was announced by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
Austin admitted guilt on March 24, 2025. Investigators reported that on December 23, 2024, Austin and others broke into a gun and pawn shop in Broken Bow and stole 18 firearms along with ammunition. Law enforcement recovered four of these stolen firearms while investigating a shootout that took place in Idabel three days after the theft.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Broken Bow Police Department, and the Idabel Police Department.
This prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America. According to officials, this initiative coordinates resources from across the Department of Justice to address illegal immigration, dismantle cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect communities from violent crime. Operation Take Back America brings together efforts from programs such as the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The Honorable John F. Heil III presided over the hearing in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma. Austin will stay in U.S. Marshals Service custody until he is transferred to a federal prison facility to serve his sentence without parole.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Gross prosecuted the case.
