Jimcy McGirt, Aggravated Sexual Abuse, Oklahoma 2023

MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – A 72-year-old Oklahoma man has been sentenced to life imprisonment for sexually abusing a young child.

A federal jury in the Eastern District of Oklahoma convicted Jimcy McGirt of two counts of Aggravated Sexual Abuse In Indian Country and one count of Abusive Sexual Contact in Indian Country in November. The crimes occurred in 1997, but McGirt wasn’t charged until 2020, after the United States Supreme Court ruled that Congress had never disestablished the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Reservation.

McGirt was originally convicted of First Degree Rape by Instrumentation, Lewd Molestation, and Forcible Sodomy in the District Court of Wagoner County in 1997. However, the conviction was later vacated by the Supreme Court, citing a lack of jurisdiction by the State of Oklahoma.

Assistant United States Attorneys Sarah McAmis and Courtney Jordan presented evidence of McGirt’s crimes to the jury, proving that he sexually assaulted a four-year-old child. The sentences imposed on McGirt are the culmination of many hours of investigation, case preparation, and legal research.

“The sentences imposed today are the culmination of many hours of investigation, case preparation, legal research and case presentation by Assistant United States Attorneys Sarah McAmis and Courtney Jordan,” said Acting United States Attorney Christopher J. Wilson. “Through tremendous cooperation with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, our office was able to help provide justice for the victim.”

FBI Oklahoma City Special Agent in Charge Melissa Godbold praised the bravery of McGirt’s victims, saying, “While Jimcy McGirt’s abhorrent crimes devastated and traumatized his community for years, the incredible bravery of his victims ultimately secured today’s sentence.”

The Honorable John F. Heil, III, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the sentencing hearing and followed the government’s recommendation for a life sentence. McGirt will serve his non-paroleable sentence of incarceration at a United States Bureau of Prisons facility.

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