Jimcy McGirt, the man behind the landmark McGirt v. Oklahoma U.S. Supreme Court case, which reaffirmed the sovereignty of several Oklahoma tribes, will face a jury in the Eastern District Court of Oklahoma under felony charges.
McGirt is charged with four counts of failure to register as a sex offender, including failure to update his address when he moved, failure to notify law enforcement he was residing in a home with a minor, failure to notify he was living within 2,000 feet of a playground and failure to disclose a social media account and email address.
These are unrelated to the original crimes he was convicted of in state court, which were later thrown out and re-adjudicated.
These charges stem from last year, after McGirt was let out of federal prison on supervised release in May. In September, a Seminole Nation Lighthorse officer responded to a call stating McGirt had approached two children on a playground in Seminole County.
While he wasn't charged for approaching the children due to a lack of evidence, the officer did discover he was residing within the Seminole Nation boundary with his son, despite being registered as a sex offender living within the Muscogee Creek Nation.
In tribal court, he pleaded "no contest" and was convicted of a felony and misdemeanor. He was re-sentenced to five years, with all but six months served under supervised release. Feb 27 would've marked the beginning of this supervision, but the next day, he was transferred to the Eastern District Court of Oklahoma, where he now awaits trial under new charges.
According to court records, McGirt has pleaded "not guilty" to the felonies.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma said because McGirt has denied guilt, the case will move forward with a jury trial.
McGirt will be represented by court-ordered counsel and his tribal court attorney Richard O'Carroll, who has offered to join as a pro bono co-counsel.
McGirt is currently being held in the Okmulgee County Jail. His trial is set for June 2.
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