Anthony James Deason, a former teacher and coach at Tahlequah Public Schools, has been sentenced to 84 months in prison followed by eight years of supervised release. The sentence was handed down for one count of Attempted Receipt of Certain Material Involving the Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, according to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The case against Deason stemmed from an investigation by the Tahlequah Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations. On December 11, 2024, Deason pleaded guilty to using social media to contact two minors between October 26 and October 30, 2023. He requested explicit images from them, offering money and gift cards as inducements. Additionally, he sent an unsolicited explicit image of himself to one of the victims. Both minors refused his requests.
United States Attorney Christopher J. Wilson commented on the case: “This case serves as a stark reminder for kids and parents that the internet is often used by persons with evil intentions to exploit and victimize.” He expressed gratitude towards the students and families who reported Deason’s actions and praised investigators and prosecutors for their efforts in stopping him.
The crime took place in Cherokee County within the Cherokee Nation Reservation boundaries in the Eastern District of Oklahoma. This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse.
Individuals with information about child exploitation are encouraged to report it through various channels including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children or law enforcement agencies such as the FBI or Homeland Security Investigations.
The sentencing hearing was presided over by Chief U.S. District Judge Eric F. Melgren from Kansas, sitting by assignment. Deason will remain under custody pending transportation to a Bureau of Prisons facility where he will serve his sentence without parole.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara McAmis represented the United States in this case.
