Valliant Man Sentenced To 18 Months For Failure To Register As Sex Offender

MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that John David Sanders, age 41, of Valliant, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment, and 5 years of supervised release for Failure To Register As Sex Offender, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 2250(a)(1), 2250(a)(2)(B) and 2250(a)(3). The charges arose from an investigation by the Texas Department of Public Safety, the McCurtain County Sheriff’s Office, and the United States Marshals Service.

The Indictment alleged that from in or about March 2019, until about July 16, 2019, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma, and elsewhere, the defendant, an individual required to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (“SORNA”), as a result of a conviction for Indecency with a Child, traveled in interstate and foreign commerce and knowingly failed to register and update his registration as required by SORNA.

Sex offender registration and notification programs are important for public safety purposes.  Sex offender registration is a system for monitoring and tracking sex offenders following their release into the community.  The registration provides important information about convicted sex offenders to local and federal authorities and the public, such as offender's name, current location and past offenses.
                
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 hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Sarah McAmis represented the United States.