Michael Morgan Ellis, Jr., a 38-year-old resident of Wilburton, Oklahoma, has pleaded guilty to multiple counts related to the sexual abuse of a minor. According to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, Ellis admitted guilt to three counts of Sexual Abuse of a Minor in Indian Country and two counts of Abusive Sexual Contact in Indian Country.
The maximum penalty for each count of sexual abuse is fifteen years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Each count of abusive sexual contact carries up to two years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Prosecutors stated that between July 2023 and June 26, 2024, Ellis knowingly engaged in sex acts and sexual contact with a minor who was between the ages of 12 and 16 and at least four years younger than him. The incidents occurred in Pittsburg County on the Choctaw Nation Reservation.
The investigation involved cooperation among several agencies: the Federal Bureau of Investigation, McAlester Police Department, and Choctaw Nation Lighthorse Police.
U.S. Magistrate Judge D. Edward Snow accepted Ellis’s plea and ordered that a presentence investigation report be completed. Sentencing will be determined by a U.S. District Court Judge after reviewing federal sentencing guidelines and other relevant factors.
Ellis remains in custody with the United States Marshals Service until his sentencing date. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emily Wittlinger and Nicole Paladino.
