OKC Man Convicted; Possession of Ammunition and Witness Tampering

OKLAHOMA CITY – Last week, a federal jury convicted JIMMY LEE BROOKS, 35, of Oklahoma City, of possessing ammunition after a former conviction of a felony and a separate charge of witness tampering, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.

On October 21, 2020, a federal grand jury returned a three-count Superseding Indictment against Brooks.  Count 1 charged Brooks with possessing ammunition after a former felony conviction.  Count 2 charged him with possessing a long-barrel shotgun after a former felony conviction.  Count 3 charged Brooks with witness tampering, specifically attempting to influence, delay, and prevent testimony in an official proceeding.

On April 29, 2021, after a three-day trial, the jury returned guilty verdicts on Counts 1 and 3.  Evidence at trial showed that Brooks got into an altercation with his girlfriend on March 18, 2020, which resulted in Brooks brandishing a knife towards his girlfriend.  When she fled the scene by hopping in a stranger’s vehicle, Brooks used a .380 caliber handgun to fire eight rounds towards the stranger’s vehicle, striking his girlfriend.  Evidence at trial also showed that following his initial appearance in federal court, Brooks placed jail phone calls in which he attempted to convince his girlfriend to recant her earlier statements to the police and hospital staff that named Brooks as the shooter on March 18, 2020.

At sentencing in approximately 90 days, Brooks faces up to ten years in federal prison on the ammunition conviction, and up to 20 years in federal prison on the witness-tampering conviction.  Each count of conviction also carries a fine of up to $250,000 and up to three years of supervised release following a term of imprisonment.  Brooks has been detained in custody since March 26, 2020, pending charges from the March 18, 2020 shooting.

This case is the result of investigations by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Oklahoma City Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nick Coffey and Charles Brown prosecuted the case.

This case is part of “Operation 922,” the Western District’s local implementation of Project Safe Neighborhoods and Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s initiatives to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws.  “Operation 922” prioritizes firearms prosecutions connected to domestic violence, including domestic violence abusers who possess a firearm and are subject to a victim protective order or have been previously convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence.

Reference is made to court filings for further information.