A Nowata man has been sentenced to nearly 19 years in federal prison after being convicted of sexually abusing two teenage girls, according to an announcement from U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
U.S. District Judge John D. Russell sentenced Kaleb Scott Smith, 34, to 228 months in prison and ordered that he serve 15 years of supervised release upon completion of his sentence. Smith will also be required to register as a sex offender.
In November 2025, a jury found Smith guilty of Sexual Abuse of a Minor in Indian Country and two counts of Abusive Sexual Contact with a Minor in Indian Country. According to court records, the victims were 13 and 14 years old at the time of the abuse.
The case came to light in September 2024 when the 14-year-old victim told her parent about being abused by Smith. The parents contacted law enforcement and provided officers with a photo showing Smith with their daughter under a blanket. The image presented during trial depicted Smith’s arm around the child and his hand on her upper thigh.
Testimony revealed multiple incidents involving Smith and the minor victims. One incident occurred when the victim stayed overnight with Smith’s daughter while he was celebrating his birthday in July 2024; she testified that he touched her inappropriately and later showed her a nude photo of himself.
Another incident involved both Smith’s daughter and the minor victim at a casino hotel room, where witnesses described Smith cuddling with the minor victim under a blanket before moving beds to continue inappropriate contact.
A third incident took place at Smith’s house in September 2024, where three girls spent the night. Testimony indicated that one friend saw Smith on top of the minor victim in bed, leading her to feel uncomfortable and leave. Evidence presented at trial included DNA analysis confirming that bodily fluids from both Smith and one of the victims were found together on his bed.
Further investigation revealed that another girl had also experienced inappropriate behavior from Smith when she was both 13 and 14 years old, including comments about her body and unwanted touching.
Smith is identified as a member of the Osage Nation. He was taken into custody by U.S. Marshals during trial proceedings and will remain detained until transfer to federal prison.
The Bartlesville Police Department and FBI led the investigation into this case, which was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alicia Hockenbury and Matthew Cyran.
This prosecution falls under Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice aimed at combating child sexual exploitation through coordinated efforts among federal, state, and local agencies. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at Justice.gov/PSC.
