Justin David Gilliland, 46, of Lawton, was sentenced on June 3 to serve 57 months in federal prison for unlawful possession of firearms while subject to a protective order, according to U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.
According to public records, deputies from the Grady County Sheriff’s Office responded to a disturbance call at a residence on October 18, 2024. The victim reported receiving multiple unwanted phone calls from Gilliland throughout the day and left her home with her children out of concern for their safety. Upon returning later, they found Gilliland’s vehicle in the driveway. Deputies arrested Gilliland at the scene after recovering a firearm, a loaded magazine, and a bottle of liquor from his vehicle. At that time, he was subject to a protective order prohibiting him from possessing firearms under federal law. A subsequent search warrant executed at his residence led law enforcement officers to recover ten additional firearms that Gilliland had previously denied possessing.
A federal grand jury indicted Gilliland on July 16, 2025, for being a prohibited person in possession of firearms. He pleaded guilty on November 4, 2025, and admitted that he knowingly possessed firearms while under the protective order.
At the sentencing hearing held yesterday before U.S. District Judge Patrick R. Wyrick, Gilliland received a sentence of 57 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release. Judge Wyrick said the seriousness of the offense and the need to protect the public and promote respect for the law were factors in determining the sentence.
The case resulted from an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Grady County Sheriff’s Office; and Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mary E. Walters and Daniel Gridley prosecuted this case.
This prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America (OTBA), an initiative utilizing Department of Justice resources against illegal immigration and transnational criminal organizations as well as violent crime perpetrators nationwide; it also falls under “Operation 922,” which prioritizes prosecution of federal crimes related to domestic violence within Oklahoma’s Western District.
The Justice Department serves as the principal federal agency for law enforcement with operations across all states and over fifty countries worldwide; it employs more than 115,000 people focused on upholding rule of law and safeguarding civil rights under Attorney General Merrick B. Garland’s leadership since March 11, 2021—who has overseen major prosecutions such as those related to domestic terrorism—according to its official website.