Daniel Levi Magness and Joanna Lee Higgins, both residents of Okemah, Oklahoma, have been sentenced for charges related to child abuse and neglect. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma confirmed the sentencing.
Magness received a 220-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to two counts of Child Abuse in Indian Country, one count of Child Neglect in Indian Country, one count of Maiming in Indian Country, and one count of Felon in Possession of a Firearm. His sentences will run concurrently.
Higgins was sentenced to 140 months in prison for one count of Child Neglect in Indian Country. She entered her guilty plea on November 12, 2024.
The case stemmed from an investigation by the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Lighthorse Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. On January 31, 2024, officers conducted a welfare check at an Okemah residence where they found two children living in unsanitary conditions with bruises. One child had a disfiguring ear injury. A search revealed firearms despite Magness's prior felony conviction.
These events took place within Okfuskee County on the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Reservation.
Chief U.S. District Judge Ronald A. White presided over the hearing at the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma. Both defendants remain in custody awaiting transport to a federal prison facility to serve their sentences without parole.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Paladino represented the prosecution.
