A Conehatta man pleaded guilty to abusive sexual contact with a child.

According to court documents, Brett Keith Thomas, 27, engaged in sexual contact with a minor under the age of 12. Court records show that the offense occurred in the Conehatta Community of the Choctaw Indian Reservation in 2016.

Thomas is scheduled to be sentenced on June 5, 2024, and faces up to life in prison. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee and Acting Special Agent in Charge Maher Dimachkie of the Federal Bureau of Investigation made the announcement.

The Choctaw Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin J. Payne and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian K. Burns 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 the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (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 www.projectsafechildhood.gov.