Man sentenced to 40 Years after sexually abusing three children

TULSA, Okla. – A man from Kansas, Oklahoma, was sentenced today for two counts of Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Minor Under 12 in Indian Country, Aggravated Abuse of a Minor by Force and Threat in Indian Country, and Coercion and Enticement of a Minor, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.

U.S. District Judge Gregory K. Frizzell sentenced Sequoyah Jo Hinzo, 30, of Kansas, Oklahoma, to 480 months, followed by lifetime supervised release. Upon release, Hinzo will be required to register as a sex offender.

According to court documents, from 2020 through 2022, Hinzo sexually abused three children, who were 6, 9, and 13 years old. Additionally, Hinzo created fake social media accounts to entice a minor child to send him sexually explicit photos.

Hinzo is a citizen of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians, and he will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.

The FBI, Kansas Police Department, and the Cherokee Nation Marshal Service investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys George Jiang and Valeria Luster prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.