Oklahoma City Man Pleads Guilty To Traveling To Colorado To Bring 13-Year-Old To Oklahoma City To Engage In Illicit Sexual Conduct

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma – Today, MARK AVERY SUMPTER, 43, from Oklahoma City, pleaded guilty to traveling to Colorado to pick up a 13-year-old girl to bring her to Oklahoma City to engage in illicit sexual conduct, announced Sanford C. Coats, United States Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma.

According to court records, on June 27, 2014, the Oklahoma City Police Department (OCPD) notified the FBI that they had recovered an endangered 13-year-old runaway girl who was reported missing to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Department in Douglas County, Colorado. An investigation of social media accounts were traced to an IP address located in Oklahoma City. When OCPD officers responded to the address they found Sumpter and the missing girl. Sumpter and the girl communicated through the website chathour.com, Skype (a Voice Over Internet Protocol service that allows users to communicate through a computer or other wifi-compatible device), and Kik (a social media application designed for mobile technology that utilizes usernames, rather than phone numbers, to connect people via instant messaging). After exchanging messages and sexually-explicit photos, Sumpter traveled to Colorado to pick up the girl and return to Oklahoma City where they stayed for several days, from approximately June 21, 2014 through June 27, 2014. During the trip from Colorado to Oklahoma and at the Oklahoma City apartment, Sumpter engaged in illicit sexual conduct with the 13-year-old girl. Reference is made to the court record for further information.

Mr. Sumpter was indicted by a federal grand jury on August 20, 2014. During the plea hearing today, Sumpter admitted that he traveled from Oklahoma City to Colorado and picked up the 13-year-old girl, with the purpose of returning to Oklahoma City to engage in illicit sexual contact.

At sentencing, Sumpter faces a mandatory minimum of ten years and up to life in prison. A sentencing hearing will be set by the court in approximately 90 days.

This case is the result of an investigation by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Department (Colorado), the Oklahoma City Police Department, the Edmond Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brandon Hale and Julia E. Barry.