MUSKOGEE –James Steven Peavler, 67, of Checotah, has been sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison for a False Statement During the Acquisition of a Firearm, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced last week.

The charge arose from an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. On Sept. 29, 2023, Peavler pleaded guilty to the charge.

According to investigators, on June 29, 2022, Peavler attempted to receive two firearms from Checotah Firearms, a Federal Firearms Licensee.

During his visit, Peavler intentionally made a false written statement on the ATF Firearms Transaction Record Form 4473, asserting that he was not under indictment or information in any court for a felony or for any other crime for which he could be imprisoned for more than one year.

In reality, at the time of the transaction, Peavler was under indictment for a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year and knew of such prosecution.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.

On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community- based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

The Honorable John F. Heil, III, U.S. District Judge for the United States District Court in the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing.

Peavler will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshal pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-parolable sentence of incarceration.

Assistant United States Attorney Edith A. Singer represented the United States.