The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced today that Stetson Bruce, age 33, of Antlers, Oklahoma, was found guilty by a Federal jury of two counts of Aggravated Sexual Abuse in Indian Country.
The jury trial began with testimony on Tuesday, July 19, 2022, and concluded on Thursday, July 21, 2022, with the guilty verdicts.
During the trial, the United States presented evidence that on more than one occasion during the time period of May 1, 2018, to May 31, 2020, the defendant [sexually assaulted the] five-year-old child … The evidence further revealed that on at least one occasion, another child witnessed the abuse.
The guilty verdicts were the result of an investigation by the Pushmataha County Sheriff’s Office, the Choctaw Nation Tribal Police, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
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 Pushmataha County, within the boundaries of the Choctaw Nation Reservation, and within the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The Honorable Bernard M. Jones, II, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma, sitting in Oklahoma City, presided over the trial and ordered the completion of a presentence report. Sentencing will be scheduled following completion of the report. Bruce was remanded to the custody of the United States Marshal pending the imposition of sentencing.
Assistant United States Attorneys Anthony C. Marek and Hannah Jones represented the United States.
