Tahlequah resident sentenced to federal prison for child sex abuse and exploitation

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that a Tahlequah resident was sentenced to prison for eight separate counts of aggravated sexual abuse in Indian Country, two counts of sexual exploitation of a child, two counts of sexual exploitation of a child by a parent, and one count of possession of certain material involving the sexual exploitation of a minor.

Leiloni Blake Smith, 32, was sentenced to 30 years for the crimes; 360 months for aggravated sexual abuse; 360 months for sexual exploitation of a child; 360 months for sexual exploitation of a child by a parent; and 240 months for possession of certain material involving the sexual exploitation of a minor. Those sentences are to be served concurrently.

The charges against Smith arose after a probe by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

According to reports, The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children alerted authorities that a Tahlequah-area resident was exchanging electronic files containing images of child sexual abuse. On March 21, 2024, Smith was found guilty by a federal jury on 13 counts of a 14-count indictment. Gregory Neil Bias, Smith's co-defendant, was sentenced to 30 years for nine separate counts of child sex abuse crimes, eight separate counts of child sexual exploitation crimes, and one federal firearm crime.

Honorable Judge Ronald A. White presided over the hearing and Smith was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshal pending transportation to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Edith A. Singer prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, visit www.justice.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources”.