Michael Joseph Dias, a 33-year-old Oklahoma City resident with a long criminal record, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for illegally possessing ammunition as a convicted felon, U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester announced. The sentencing follows a guilty verdict from a federal jury after a dramatic confrontation last year.
The case began on April 2, 2024, when Oklahoma City Police Department (OCPD) officers responded to a reported burglary at an apartment complex. According to trial evidence, the victim returned home to find his door ajar and encountered an intruder—later identified as Dias—blocking entry.
After forcing his way inside, the victim chased Dias into the parking lot, where Dias allegedly pulled a firearm from his waistband. As the victim fled, a gunshot echoed through the complex, and officers later recovered a spent shell casing at the scene. Dias was apprehended after a brief foot chase.
A federal Grand Jury charged Dias on May 7, 2024, with being a felon in possession of ammunition, a crime tied to his extensive criminal history. After a two-day trial, a jury convicted him on October 24, 2024.
Public records list prior felony convictions including attempted second-degree burglary, second-degree burglary, attempted first-degree burglary, indecent exposure, and a previous felon-in-possession charge, spanning Comanche and Oklahoma Counties since 2009.
U.S. District Judge Joe Heaton handed down the 120-month sentence, followed by three years of supervised release, citing the offense’s dangerous nature and Dias’s repeat-offender status. The investigation was a joint effort by OCPD and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel Gridley and Travis Leverett prosecuting.
Dias’s case falls under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) and its local initiative, “Operation Shots Fired,” which targets gun violence and individuals who discharge firearms during crimes.
More details on these efforts are available at justice.gov/psn and justice.gov/usao-wdok.
