Sequoyah County Resident Sentenced For Five Counts Of Sexual Abuse Of A Minor In Indian Country

MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced today that Michael Allen Farris, age 50, of Bunch, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 135 months’ imprisonment for being found guilty by jury trial of five counts of Sexual Abuse of a Minor in Indian Country. The jury trial began with testimony on Monday, November 29, 2021, and concluded on Wednesday, December 1, 2021, with the guilty verdicts.

Evidence at trial showed that on at least five occasions between June 2019 and August 2019, the defendant penetrated the vulva of the 13-year-old victim with his penis, resulting in the victim giving birth to a child. Testimony at trial indicated, through the process of DNA analysis, that the defendant was the father of the child.

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 Sequoyah County, within the boundaries of the Cherokee Nation Reservation, and within the Eastern District of Oklahoma.

The case was the result of an investigation by the Sequoyah County Sheriff’s Office, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

“The Defendant, a 46-year-old man at the time, used his position of trust to repeatedly molest and abuse his 13-year-old victim.  The sentence imposed will ensure he is held accountable for taking advantage of that trust,” said United States Attorney Christopher J. Wilson.  “No child should ever experience the pain and suffering the Defendant brought upon the victim in this case.”

“The FBI and our law enforcement partners will do everything in our power to protect our most vulnerable citizens and get predators like Farris off the street,” said FBI Oklahoma City Special Agent in Charge Edward J. Gray. “We will continue to combine resources and investigative efforts to ensure the safety of the children in our communities.”

The Honorable Timothy D. DeGiusti, U.S. Chief District Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma, in Oklahoma City, presided over the sentencing hearing. Farris was remanded to the custody of the United States Marshal to await commitment to a United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve his non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.

Assistant United States Attorneys Anthony Marek and Morgan Muzljakovich represented the United States.