U.S. Department of Justice
David E. O'Meilia
United States Attorney
Northern District of Oklahoma

NEWS RELEASE
July 29, 2008
Tulsa, Oklahoma

Jury Finds Man Guilty of Sex Crimes Against Children in Indian Country

United States Attorney David E. O’Meilia announced that a federal jury in Tulsa returned a guilty verdict today against a Delaware County man for crimes involving the sexual abuse of young children on Indian land.

Kimberly Chancellor, Indian male, age 42, of Salina, Oklahoma, was found guilty after a two day jury trial on all three counts with which he was charged: Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Minor in Indian Country and two counts of Attempted Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Minor in Indian Country. Count One accused him of the forcible rape of an Indian female child under the age of twelve in the summer of 2003. Count Two accused him of attempting to rape an Indian child on January 1, 2007, and Count 3 accused Chancellor of attempting to rape by force an Indian female child under the age of 16 on May 20, 2007. These offenses occurred in Chancellor’s home in the Kenwood Addition of Salina in Delaware County in Northeastern Oklahoma.

Chancellor was arrested in Dallas, Texas, last March by local authorities there working with the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force. He had fled the local area after he was charged with the crimes by a Tulsa federal Grand Jury in February.

Sentencing for Chancellor is set for November 6. He faces a prison sentence of at least 30 years to possible life imprisonment.

U.S. Attorney O’Meilia commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Cherokee Nation Marshals Service for their exemplary and thorough investigation of these crimes and further stated: A Thanks to the brave testimony of the three child victims and the hard work by law enforcement agents, this child predator will face minimum no-parole federal prison time of at least 30 years. This case is an example of the United States Attorney's Office continued commitment to aggressively prosecute violent crime in Indian Country.

This prosecution proceeded in federal court because the alleged crimes occurred in Indian Country, where major criminal offenses fall under the jurisdiction of the United States Courts. Assistant U.S. Attorney Trent Shores and First Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Woodward represented the government in this case.