Federal Jury Convicts Alabama Resident Of Aggravated Sexual Abuse In Indian Country

MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announces today that Dennis Hebert, age 38, of Phenix City, Alabama, was found guilty by a federal jury of one count of Aggravated Sexual Abuse in Indian Country.

The jury trial began with testimony on May 15, 2023, and concluded on May 17, 2023, with the guilty verdict.

During the trial, the United States presented evidence that on July 21, 2021, in McAlester, Oklahoma, the defendant, Dennis Hebert, engaged in a sexual act with a child under the age of twelve.  The government also called another witness who testified to having been sexually abused by Hebert as a child.

The case was investigated by the Choctaw Nation Tribal Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma prosecuted the case because the victim is a member of a federally recognized Indian tribe and the crimes occurred in Pittsburg County, within the boundaries of the Choctaw Nation Reservation and the Eastern District of Oklahoma.

The Honorable Ronald A. White, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the trial in Muskogee and ordered the completion of a presentence report.  The sentencing will be scheduled following completion of the report.  The defendant will remain in the custody of the United States Marshal until sentencing.

Assistant United States Attorneys Anthony C. Marek and Caila M. Cleary represented the United States.