Tyrece D. Thomas, 25, of Macy, Nebraska, was sentenced on July 30 in federal court in Omaha for one count of abusive sexual contact, according to United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods. United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Thomas to 120 months’ imprisonment with no parole available under the federal system and ordered a five-year term of supervised release following his prison sentence.
According to court documents, on June 8, 2020, Victim 1 was walking home on the Omaha Nation Indian Reservation when an unknown male struck her in the head and took her cell phone. The assailant offered to return the phone if she had sex with him; after she refused and tried to leave, he struck her again before sexually assaulting her. Victim 1 did not know Thomas prior to the incident.
Victim 1 went to a hospital after the assault and underwent a Sexual Assault Nurse Examination (SANE), during which forensic evidence was collected from her body. The SANE kit was sent to the FBI Laboratory where an FBI forensic scientist identified unknown male DNA on swabs taken from Victim 1 during her exam. The DNA profile was entered into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), but there were initially no matches.
On October 4, 2024, local FBI agents were notified by the FBI Laboratory that a routine CODIS search yielded a possible match between DNA collected from Victim 1 and Tyrece D. Thomas, who had become a federal arrestee by that time. Agents obtained a search warrant for Thomas’s known DNA sample; laboratory analysis confirmed it matched the evidence collected from Victim 1.
This case was investigated by both the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Omaha Nation Law Enforcement Services.
The U.S. Attorney for the District of Nebraska advances community well-being through coordinated law enforcement efforts that safeguard residents; uses facilities in both Omaha and Lincoln; is part of the U.S. Department of Justice; prosecutes federal crimes and handles civil cases for the U.S.; serves all of Nebraska; and collaborates with other agencies to enhance public safety, according to its official website.