Federal Charge Follows Pattern of Failures: Sex Offender Pleads Guilty Under SORNA in Eastern District Indian Country

By Cara Cowan Watts, Cherokee411.com

MUSKOGEE — A Shreveport, Louisiana, man with four prior sex offense-related convictions — including two in Rogers County and two separate failures to register as a sex offender in Oklahoma — has pleaded guilty in federal court to yet another count of failing to register, this time under the federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.

Robert Thomas Richardson, 43, entered his plea June 6, 2026, before U.S. Magistrate Judge D. Edward Snow in the Eastern District of Oklahoma. Federal prosecutors say Richardson failed to register and update his sex offender registration from Sept. 18, 2024, until Jan. 17, 2026.

The charge carries federal jurisdiction because Richardson traveled in interstate commerce and entered, left, or resided in Indian Country — the statutory hook required under 18 U.S.C. § 2250(a), the federal criminal provision of SORNA that applies to offenders whose underlying convictions are state rather than federal.

A Lengthy Record

Court records reflect the following prior convictions:

• October 2004 — Two counts of rape by instrumentation, Rogers County, Oklahoma. Richardson was sentenced to 12 years, with six years to serve and six suspended; he served approximately one year.
• December 2010 — Rape in the second degree, Rogers County. Sentenced to 20 years, with six to serve and 14 suspended; served approximately three years.
• March 2011 — Failure to register as a sex offender, Oklahoma County. Sentenced to two years; served the full term.
• February 2018 — Failure to register as a sex offender, Comanche County. Sentenced to 10 years, with five to serve and five suspended; served approximately two years.

The current federal guilty plea is now a conviction. Richardson will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending sentencing. A U.S. district court judge — not the magistrate — will impose a sentence after considering federal sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. No sentencing date has been announced.

The case arose from an investigation by the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Morgan Muzljakovich is prosecuting.

Indian Country and the Federal Registration Requirement

The Eastern District of Oklahoma encompasses much of the McGirt-affected Indian Country in northeastern Oklahoma, including the jurisdictions of Cherokee Nation, United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians, the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, and other tribal nations. The indictment language referencing Indian Country reflects the jurisdictional basis that places the federal government — rather than the state — in the prosecutorial role.

Under SORNA, any convicted sex offender who lives, works, or attends school in Indian Country must register with the relevant tribal jurisdiction in addition to any state or other tribal registry.

All three federally recognized Cherokee tribes maintain SORNA-compliant sex offender registries that are publicly searchable through the National Sex Offender Public Website (NSOPW.gov) at nsopw.gov:

Cherokee Nation — The 2008 Cherokee Nation Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act requires any convicted sex offender who lives, works, or attends school within Cherokee Nation’s 14-county jurisdiction in northeastern Oklahoma to register with Cherokee Nation, in addition to any other state, territory, or tribal registration. The public registry is searchable at cherokee.nsopw.gov.

United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma — Under the 2009 Keetoowah Cherokee Tribal Sex Offenses and Sex Offender Registration Code (09-UKB-60), sex offenders who live, work, or attend school within UKB’s 14-county jurisdiction must register with UKB Lighthorse Police. The public registry is searchable at unitedkeetoowahband.nsopw.gov.

Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians — Based on the Qualla Boundary in western North Carolina, EBCI has been found to have substantially implemented SORNA (March 2015). Its registry is maintained by the EBCI Tribal Police Department and Tribal GIS Office and is searchable at nc-cherokee.nsopw.gov.

All three registries are also searchable through the national portal at nsopw.gov.