MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, announced today that Jerry Dewayne Rogers, age 59, of Sallisaw, Oklahoma was found guilty by a federal jury of one count of Aggravated Sexual Abuse in Indian Country, three counts of Abusive Sexual Contact in Indian County, and one count of Sexual Abuse of a Minor in Indian Country.
The jury trial began with testimony on Monday, April 18, 2022, and concluded on Wednesday, April 20, 2022, with the guilty verdicts. Based on the verdicts, the defendant is facing a mandatory minimum sentence of not less than thirty years imprisonment.
During the trial, the United States presented evidence that the defendant sexually abused his granddaughter. The sexual abuse began when the victim was 8 years old and continued until she was 13 years old. The defendant’s crimes came to light when the victim disclosed at 16 years of age how the defendant had abused her.
The guilty verdicts were the result of an investigation by the Sequoyah County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma prosecuted the case because the victim is a member of a federally recognized Indian tribe and the crimes occurred in Sequoyah County, within the boundaries of the Cherokee Nation Reservation, and within the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The Honorable Timothy D. DeGiusti, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma in Oklahoma City, presided over the trial and ordered the completion of a presentence report. Sentencing will be scheduled following completion of the report. Rogers was remanded to the custody of the United States Marshal pending the imposition of sentencing.
Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin D. Traster was the lead prosecutor representing the United States.