Federal Jury Convicts Pontotoc County Resident Of Abusive Sexual Contact And 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 Nathan Dale Smith, age 32, of Pontotoc County, Oklahoma was found guilty by a federal jury of one count of Sexual Abuse of a Minor in Indian Country and one count of Abusive Sexual Contact in Indian Country. The jury trial began on Tuesday, September 6, 2022, and concluded on Wednesday, September 7, 2022.

During the trial, the United States presented evidence that Nathan Dale Smith sexually abused a female child under the age of 16 over the course of two years. Once the abuse was disclosed, the Defendant sent an incriminating text message to the victim’s mother apologizing for his actions.

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

The guilty verdicts were the result of an investigation by the Ada Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The Honorable Ronald A. White, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma in Muskogee, presided over the trial and ordered the completion of a presentence report. Sentencing will be scheduled following completion of the report. Smith was remanded to the custody of the United States Marshal pending the imposition of sentencing.

Assistant United States Attorneys Morgan Muzljakovich and Nicole Paladino represented the United States.