MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Donald Lee Blackbird, age 59, of Vian, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 60 months’ imprisonment and 5 years of supervised release for Attempted Sexual Abuse Of A Minor, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1153, 2243(a) and 2246. The charges arose from an investigation by the Cherokee Nation Marshal Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The Indictment alleged that on or about April 3, 2018, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma, in Indian Country on an allotment, the title to which had not yet been extinguished, the defendant, an Indian, knowingly attempted to engage in a sexual act as defined in Title 18, United States Code, Section 2246(2), with a person who had attained the age of 12 years, but had not attained the age of 16 years and was at least four years younger than defendant, with an intent to arouse or gratify the sexual desire of any person.
United States Attorney Brian J. Kuester said, “People that prey upon children are and always must be priority targets for investigation and prosecution. Predators will take advantage of every opportunity they have to satisfy their deviant desires, even if that means taking advantage of a child. Their crimes, by their own design, occur in private and thus can be difficult to prove. I applaud the victim for having the courage to endure the investigative and prosecutorial process so the Cherokee Nation Marshal Service, the FBI, and this office could seek justice against Mr. Blackbird."
The Honorable Ronald A. White, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, in Muskogee, presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Kristin Harrington represented the United States. The defendant will remain in custody pending transportation to the designated federal facility at which the non-paroleable sentence will be served.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
