Federal Jury Convicts Pocola Resident Of Sexual Abuse In Indian Country

MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced today that that Daniel Matthew Matlock, age 28, of Pocola, Oklahoma, was found guilty by a federal jury of one count of Sexual Abuse in Indian Country and one count of Sexual Abuse of a Minor in Indian Country.

The jury trial began in Muskogee, Oklahoma, with testimony on Tuesday, October 17, 2023, and concluded on Wednesday, October 18, 2023, with the guilty verdicts.

During the trial, the United States presented evidence that in February of 2019, Matlock sexually abused a minor under the age of 16. The United States also offered DNA evidence to support the testimony of the victim at trial.  The crimes occurred in Leflore County, within the boundaries of the Choctaw Nation Reservation of Oklahoma, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.

The guilty verdicts were the result of investigations by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the District 16 Violent Crimes Task Force, and the Pocola Police Department.

The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief 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.  Matlock was remanded to the custody of the United States Marshal, where he will remain until sentencing.

Assistant United States Attorneys Morgan Muzljakovich and Jessie Heidlage represented the United States.