Whiteriver Man Convicted of Multiple Counts Involving the Sexual Abuse of Minors

PHOENIX—Samuel James Seymour, 50, of Whiteriver, Ariz., was found guilty by a federal jury on Monday of two counts Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Minor, Attempted Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Minor, Aggravated Sexual Abuse, Sexual Abuse of a Minor, and Abusive Sexual Contact with a Minor. The case was tried before U.S. District Judge Paul G. Rosenblatt between June 14 to 16, 2011, in Prescott, Ariz. The defendant was remanded into custody after trial. Sentencing is set before Judge Rosenblatt on September 26, 2011.

The evidence at trial showed that Seymour sexually abused three separate minor victims between 2000 and 2008. The victims never disclosed their abuse until one of the victims, now an adult, actually observed the defendant sexually abusing another victim and reported it to police. The defendant claimed he was merely educating the victims how to have sex.

A conviction for one of the charges of Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Minor carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 30 years in prison, and a maximum penalty of life in prison, a $250,000.00 fine, or both. The second Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Minor charge, the Attempted Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Minor charge, and the Aggravated Sexual Abuse charge carry maximum penalties of life imprisonment. The Abusive Sexual Contact with a Minor charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment, and the Sexual Abuse of a Minor charge carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. In determining an actual sentence, Judge Rosenblatt will also consult the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide appropriate sentencing ranges. The judge is not bound by those guidelines in determining a sentence; however, he is bound by the applicable statutory mandatory minimum sentence of no less than 30 years’ imprisonment.

The investigation leading to the guilty verdict was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation as well as the White Mountain Apache Tribal Police Department. The prosecution was handled by Dimitra H. Sampson and Christina J. Reid-Moore, Assistant U.S. Attorneys, District of Arizona, Phoenix.

CASE NUMBER: CR-10-8027-PCT-PGR

RELEASE NUMBER: 2011-133(Seymour)