Muskogee Man Sentenced To 33 Months For Failure To Register As Sex Offender

MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Yarnell Qudellious Payne, age 36, of Muskogee, Oklahoma was sentenced to 33 months’ imprisonment, and 5 years of supervised release for Failure To Register As Sex Offender, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 2250(a)(1), 2250(a)(2)(B) and 2250(a)(3). After he is released from prison, Payne is also required to comply with drug testing and treatment, sex offender treatment including polygraphs to monitor compliance, sex offender registration, and he is prohibited from living with or having unsupervised contact with children without prior approval from his Probation Officer.  The charges arose from an investigation by the he United States Marshals Service.

The Indictment alleged that from on or about November 2018, the exact date being unknown to the Grand Jury, until on or about January 29, 2019, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma, and elsewhere, the defendant, an individual required to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, after having received felony convictions from the State of Nebraska, in Lancaster County, on or about January 4, 2017, for Sexual Assault of a Child, Third Degree, traveled in interstate and foreign commerce and knowingly failed to register and update his registration as required by the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.

United States Attorney Brian J. Kuester said, “Federal sex offender registration statutes protect the public by requiring sex offenders to properly notify the appropriate law enforcement agencies where they are residing. The United States Marshals Service and its local law enforcement partners play a vital role in public safety by enforcing these laws.”

“As part of our efforts to keep our communities safe, it is with great pride that the United States Marshals Service works alongside state, local and tribal law enforcement to ensure that convicted sex offenders comply with the requirements of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act” said, United States Marshal Kerry Pettingill.

The Honorable Ronald A. White, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, in Muskogee, presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Sarah McAmis represented the United States.