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