MUSKOGEE, Oklv. – On May 2 MCN citizen Jimcy McGirt pled guilty to one count of Aggravated Sexual Abuse in Indian Country as part of a plea bargain that resulted in his release and five year supervision.
McGirt was convicted in Oklahoma State Court in 1997 of first-degree rape by instrumentation, lewd molestation, and forcible sodomy. McGirt challenged this conviction at the United States Supreme Court, arguing that the state of Oklahoma did not have jurisdiction over his crimes.
The resulting decision affirmed the existence of the Mvskoke reservation and resulted in a federal indictment of McGirt in August 2020. He was charged with with two counts of aggravated sexual abuse in Indian Country and one count of abusive sexual contact in Indian Country.
In November 2020 McGirt was tried and convicted of all three counts in a three-day trial.
In June 2023 McGirt’s conviction was reversed by the Tenth Circuit based on a jury instruction issue. The case was remanded for a new trial. One week before the third trial was set to begin, McGirt pleaded guilty to one of the three counts as part of a plea agreement. The agreement sentenced McGirt to 30 years, but gave him credit for time previously served, and ordered a five-year supervised release.
