Robert J. "Bob" Troester U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma
A federal jury in Oklahoma City has convicted Joseph Francis Butler, a 34-year-old from Illinois, of aggravated sexual abuse at the Federal Transfer Center (FTC). U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester announced the conviction.
The charge against Butler was brought by a federal Grand Jury on July 17, 2024. After a four-day trial, the jury reached a guilty verdict on March 14, 2025. Evidence presented during the trial revealed that on June 4, 2023, Butler entered another inmate's cell and committed sexual assault while wielding a shank to threaten the victim. The incident was reported by the victim to a corrections officer shortly after it occurred.
Butler now faces a potential life sentence in federal prison and could be fined up to $250,000.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ Special Investigative Service. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tiffany Edgmon and Brandon Hale are handling the prosecution.
For more details, reference is made to public filings related to this case.
