Sallisaw man pleads guilty to attempted robbery

MUSKOGEE–The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that James Paul Cripps, 28, of Sallisaw entered a guilty plea to one count of Attempted Robbery in Indian Country, punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. 

The Indictment alleged that on Oct. 28, 2025, Cripps attempted to take by force and violence and by intimidation, a thing of value from the person and presence of the victim. The crime occurred in Sequoyah County, within the boundaries of the Cherokee Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.

The charge arose from an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Sequoyah County Sheriff’s Office.

Gerald L. Jackson, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report. 

A U.S. District Court Judge will determine the sentence to be imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Cripps will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Conway represented the United States.

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