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

MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced today that Aaron Richard Eubanks, age 32, of Tahlequah, Oklahoma, was found guilty by a federal jury of five counts of Aggravated Sexual Abuse in Indian Country.

The jury trial began with testimony on Tuesday, August 2, 2022, and concluded on Friday, August 5, 2022, with the guilty verdicts.

During the trial, the United States presented evidence that between January of 2020 and February of 2021, Aaron Richard Eubanks engaged in sexual acts with a minor victim, who had not reached 10 years of age, on at least five occasions. Further, the United States presented evidence that in February of 2021, Aaron Richard Eubanks engaged in sexual acts with a second minor victim, who had not reached the age of 11 at the time of the abuse.

The guilty verdicts were the result of an investigation by the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma prosecuted the case because the defendant in this case is a member of a federally recognized Indian tribe and the crimes occurred in Adair and Cherokee Counties, within the boundaries of the Cherokee Nation Reservation, and within the Eastern District of Oklahoma.

The Honorable Charles B. Goodwin, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma, sitting in Oklahoma City, presided over the trial and ordered the completion of a presentence report. Sentencing will be scheduled following completion of the report. Eubanks was remanded to the custody of the United States Marshal pending the imposition of sentencing.

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