Muskogee Resident Convicted Of Aggravated Sexual Abuse

MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, announced today that Russell Garvis Griffith Jr., age 47, of Muskogee, Oklahoma was found guilty by a federal jury of Aggravated Sexual Abuse in Indian Country, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1151, 1153, 2241(c), and 2246(2)(C); Sexual Abuse of a Minor in Indian Country, in violation of Title 18, United States Code Sections 1151, 1153, 2243(a), and 2246(2)(A); and Sexual Abuse in Indian Country, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1151, 1153, 2242(1), and 2246(2)(A). The jury trial began with testimony on Monday, July 26, 2021 and concluded on Wednesday, July 28, 2021 with the guilty verdicts. The defendant is facing imprisonment for not less than 30 years to life for the crimes the jury found he committed.

During the trial, the United States presented evidence that the defendant sexually abused the victim for approximately fourteen years, beginning when she was nine years old.  The victim also testified that when she was twenty-two years old, the defendant forcibly raped her.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma ultimately prosecuted the case because the defendant is a member of a federally-recognized Indian tribe and the crime occurred in Muskogee County, within the boundaries of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, and within the Eastern District of Oklahoma.

The guilty verdicts were the result of an investigation by the Muskogee 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. Griffith was remanded to the custody of the United States Marshal pending the imposition of sentencing.

Assistant United States Attorney Morgan Muzljakovich and Assistant United States Attorney Michael Cooper represented the United States.