Kelly Justin Van Lewis, a 35-year-old resident of Coweta, Oklahoma, was sentenced on Apr. 10 to serve 26 months in prison for assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to do bodily harm in Indian Country and for possession of ammunition while subject to a protective order. The sentences will run concurrently, according to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The case is significant because it involves both violent conduct and illegal possession of ammunition by an individual prohibited from having firearms or ammunition due to a protective order. Authorities say such enforcement is crucial for community safety.
Van Lewis pleaded guilty on August 21, 2025. Investigators reported that on April 30, 2024, he threatened a victim by pointing a firearm at them and racking the slide three times after the weapon malfunctioned. He was arrested that day, and subsequently the victim obtained a protective order barring him from possessing firearms or ammunition. In June of 2025, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) agents executed a search warrant at his home and found 980 rounds of ammunition in violation of this order.
The offenses took place in Wagoner County within the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Reservation.
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office is proud to join forces with the ATF and with all local, state, Tribal, and federal agencies to investigate and prosecute perpetrators who wrongfully use firearms to jeopardize the peace and safety of our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Wilson.
“This conviction and federal sentence make clear that those who use firearms to threaten and terrorize intimate partners will be held fully accountable under the law,” said ATF Dallas Field Division Special Agent in Charge Brian Garner. “ATF plays a critical role in enforcing the firearm prohibitions established under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), working alongside federal, state, and Tribal partners to keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers. This work is essential not only to protecting victims and preventing further violence but also to upholding our trust responsibilities to our tribal partners by ensuring safer communities and respect for the rule of law.”
Senior Judge Ronald A. White presided over sentencing proceedings in United States District Court for Eastern District of Oklahoma. Van Lewis remains in custody pending transfer to serve his non-paroleable sentence.
