Ozzie Scott, 38, Sentenced for Sex Offender Registration Fail

Ozzie Scott, 38, is headed to federal prison after being sentenced for failing to register as a sex offender in Omaha, Nebraska. The transient man, with a violent criminal past, vanished into the city’s underbelly—living couch to couch, off the grid, and in plain sight of law enforcement—while ignoring mandatory registration laws designed to protect the public.

On the order of Chief United States District Court Judge Laurie Smith Camp, Scott was handed 18 months behind bars followed by five years of supervised release. The sentence stems from his evasion of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA), a federal mandate that requires individuals with certain convictions to regularly check in with local authorities wherever they reside.

Scott’s criminal history is rooted in Texas, where he was first convicted in 2003 of aggravated sexual assault of a child—a violent felony that placed him on the sex offender registry for life. He failed to comply once before, earning a 2010 conviction in Texas for the same offense: failure to register. That prior strike followed him like a shadow, resurfacing in federal court as proof of his pattern of defiance.

In October 2015, Scott crossed state lines and landed in Nebraska, taking refuge with friends in Omaha. When he was kicked out, he drifted between temporary stays—never securing a permanent address but staying long enough in each location to trigger registration requirements under federal law. Despite this, he never once reported to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, nor did he notify authorities of his presence in the jurisdiction.

The U.S. Marshals Service spearheaded the investigation, tracking Scott through intelligence leads and interagency cooperation. Federal prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, led by Deborah R. Gilg, built the case proving Scott knowingly avoided registration—a deliberate breach that carries stiff federal penalties, especially for repeat violators.

Scott’s sentencing underscores the federal government’s crackdown on fugitive sex offenders who exploit transient lifestyles to evade monitoring. Omaha, like many cities, struggles with homeless populations and thin public safety margins. But authorities say no amount of invisibility excuses a man like Ozzie Scott from accountability—especially when the stakes involve child safety and community trust.