Felon Sentenced for Possession of Firearms and Fentanyl

TULSA, Okla. - U.S. District Judge John D. Russell sentenced Joseph McKinley Phillips, 34, of Tulsa, for Possession of Fentanyl with Intent to Distribute and Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition. Judge Russell ordered Phillips to 188 months imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release.

According to court documents, in Dec. 2023, Tulsa Police officers approached Phillips, and he took off running. After officers caught and detained Phillips, they found he had two loaded handguns and more than 40 grams of fentanyl.

Data shows that only two milligrams of fentanyl can be a lethal dose. Seven out of ten contraband pills seized and tested by the DEA contained fentanyl.

Phillips will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Tulsa Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam McConney and Kenneth Elmore prosecuted the case.

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. For more information about PSN, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.