Tahlequah man sentenced for child sex abuse crimes

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that a Tahlequah man was sentenced to 17 years in prison for child sex abuse crimes.

Phillip Dale Wilson, 72, was sentenced to 204 months each on two counts of abusive sexual contact in Indian Country. The terms are to be served concurrently.

Charges against Wilson arose after a probe by the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

According to reports, Wilson sexually abused a child he knew beginning in 1999 and continued until 2005. Wilson sexually abused another child he knew from 2004 until 2011, and sexually abused a third child from 2001 until 2015. Wilson sexually abused three other children under the age of 12 and another child under the age of 16.

"Due in large part to the bravery of the victims and the exceptional investigative work of the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office and the FBI, the defendant will likely spend the rest of his life behind bars," said United States Attorney Christopher J. Wilson. "No prison sentence can undo the physical and emotional damage the defendant inflicted on his victims, but I hope they can have some measure of peace in knowing the defendant no longer poses a threat to them or other children."

Honorable Judge Raul M. Arias-Marxuach presided over the hearing and Wilson will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshal pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence.

Assistant United States Attorney Nicole Paladino prosecuted the case.