Bismarck Man Indicted For Multiple Child Sexual Abuse Charges on Fort Berthold Indian Reservation

BISMARCK – United States Attorney Christopher C. Myers announced that on January 17, 2019, Owen Cordell Smith, age 28, from Bismarck, ND, was charged by an Indictment returned on December 5, 2018, for three counts of Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Child under 12 Years of Age; Abusive Sexual Contact of a Child under 12 Years of Age; and two counts of Abusive Sexual Contact of a Child between 12 and 16 Years of Age.

The Indictment alleges that between May 2011 and May 2015, Smith, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation at Window Rock, AZ, engaged in sexual acts with three minor females, 12 years old and younger, on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation, ND.  Smith’s Initial Appearance and Arraignment was before Magistrate Judge Charles Miller Jr., at 2:30 p.m., January 17, 2019. 

The Indictment in this case is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

 This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

 This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan J. O’Konek.

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