Depew Man Sentenced for Child Sex Crimes After Federal Jury Trial Conviction

Yesterday, U.S. District Judge Eric F. Melgren sentenced Johnny Lee Summers, 24, of Depew. Summers was convicted by a federal jury in March 2023 for Coercion and Enticement of a Minor; Sexual Abuse of a Minor in Indian Country; and Abusive Sexual Contact with a Minor in Indian Country. Summers was sentenced to 340 months imprisonment, followed by 15 years of supervised release. Judge Melgren further ordered that Summers register as a sex offender upon his release.

During the trial, three victims testified against Summers explaining how he took advantage of them. From February 2021 through January 2022, Summers sought out and coerced one of the victims, who was 14 years old. Summers wanted to engage in sexual activity and sent her thousands of sexually inappropriate messages. He requested that she send him nude photos and eventually sexually abused her.

Summers is a citizen of the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma and will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.

The FBI, Tulsa Police Department, and Creek County Sheriff's Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Valeria Luster and Steven Briden 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 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 Justice.gov/PSC.