KRIS LEDFORD

U.S. Attorney Sheldon Sperling said Kris Ledford, 30, was charged after an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Muskogee police and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service. Ledford was a Muskogee police officer at the time of the theft.

The single firearms count alleges he possessed, concealed, stored, bartered, sold and disposed of nine stolen firearms between June 4, 2007, and May 29, 2008.

The second count alleges that on July 23, he falsely represented himself verbally and in writing to have been awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star, Sperling said.

Ledford’s arraignment will be set by the court. He faces up to 10 years in prison and $250,000 in fines on the first count and up to a year in prison and $100,000 in fines on the stolen valor charge.

A document in the Cherokee County case states it has been reset for January because there is a possibility the case will move to federal court. Most recent court dates in Muskogee have been reset to Dec. 2, and the Wagoner case has been reset to Dec. 16.

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TULSA WORLD

Ex-police detective pleads in gun case

by: SUSAN HYLTON World Staff Writer
11/20/2008 12:00 AM

The charges against him included possession of stolen firearms. In a plea deal, he receives three to five years in prison.

MUSKOGEE — A former Muskogee police detective charged with possessing stolen firearms and falsely claiming to be a Purple Heart recipient pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday.

In a plea deal with the United States, 30-year-old Kris Ledford of Broken Arrow will spend about three to five years in prison, based on federal sentencing guidelines.

The punishment will run concurrently with sentencing resulting from state charges in connection with the case.

He is required to plead guilty to state charges as part of the plea deal.

In Muskogee County District Court, he's charged with embezzlement, grand larceny and false declaration of ownership.

He also faces a misdemeanor charge in Tulsa County of impersonating a Tulsa police officer.

Before Magistrate Judge Kimberly E. West, Ledford said he used his position as a police officer to steal 8 to 24 firearms, which he said he sold, pawned or gave away.

In addition, he said he falsely told a police captain that he had been awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star — a misdemeanor.

Under the Stolen Valor Act of 2005, the punishment was increased from six months to up to one year in prison. The punishment was previously reserved for those falsely claiming to be Medal of Honor recipients.

Ledford told West that he has been diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder and severe depression and has been treated for the past five months including an in-patient stay at the VA Hospital in Muskogee.

Ledford's attorney Donn Baker said he thinks his client was mentally competent when the crimes occurred.

Following the hearing, assistant U.S. Attorney Doug Horn said that Ledford claimed to be a traumatized war hero to gain sympathy after he had been accused of the firearms charges.

"A lot of people had sympathy for him," Horn said.

Baker said after the hearing that his client received several medals and ribbons but not the Bronze Star and Purple Heart, which requires a soldier to have been injured.

Ledford served with the Army and the Oklahoma National Guard and saw combat in Bosnia as an automatic rifleman, Baker said, reading from his client's paperwork.

With a college degree, a military career that included an honorable discharge, and a five-year career with the police department under his belt, Ledford seemed to have had a lot going for him.

"I can't answer what causes something like that," Baker said. "Everyone I talked to in the police department said he was an excellent police officer."

Baker said Ledford was recognized for having had no accidents as a Humvee driver in Germany and Bosnia and being one of the most reliable soldiers in his platoon.

Stolen valor is not a frequently applied charge.

U.S. Attorney Sheldon Sperling issued a press release saying that the troops have "weathered withering criticism and overwhelming odds to tenuous victory in Iraq and in other conflicts. The accomplishments of the truly brave should not be disparaged by those who would steal fame, absent personal sacrifice and personal loss."

Ledford was released on a $10,000 unsecured bond pending the results of a pre-sentencing investigation.

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Detective Sentenced To Prison For Stealing Guns

posted 03/31/09 1:14 pm

Muskogee - A former Muskogee police detective has been sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty to stealing and selling guns taken from a police evidence room.

Kris Ledford of Broken Arrow was charged last year after an investigation by federal and local authorities. He was accused of stealing and selling at least nine guns between June 2007 and May 2008.

Ledford was also charged with one count of 'Stolen Valor' for claiming to have won a Purple Heart and Bronze Star when he in fact had not. Ledford attempted to claim trauma from combat explained his criminal behavior.

"Police officers are given the public trust by the citizen of their community," U.S. Attorney Sheldon Sperling said in November after Ledford's guilty plea. "Kris Ledford betrayed that trust and brought dishonor to the Muskogee Police Department by committing crimes against the same citizens and police department that hired him and gave him this trust."

Ledford also faces related charges in Cherokee, Tulsa and Wagoner counties.

In Tulsa County, Ledford is charged with impersonating a police officer and larceny of merchandise from a retailer.

Ledford was a five-year veteran of the Muskogee Police Department.