TULSA, Okla. – A man required to register as a sex offender was sentenced today for knowingly failing to register that he was living in Mayes and Tulsa Counties, announced U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Nassar.
U.S. District Judge John D. Russell sentenced James Robert Hurley, aka Daniel Gomes, 25, for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. Hurley was ordered to serve 21 months' imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release. Upon release, he will be required to register as a sex offender.
According to court documents, Hurley was convicted in 2021 for soliciting sexually explicit images from a 12-year-old. As a result, Hurley was sentenced in tribal court to a three-year suspended sentence and ordered to register as a sex offender. Three months after receiving his sex offense conviction, Hurley was charged in state court for obstruction and public intoxication, and the tribal court filed a motion to revoke his suspended sentence. Hurley failed to appear in both cases, and warrants were issued for his arrest. He was eventually detained, and the tribal court revoked his suspended sentence and ordered Hurley to serve three years' imprisonment.
After being released from prison, Hurley knowingly failed to register as a sex offender. Court documents show that after being released from prison, Hurley married his spouse, claiming his name as Hurley. However, Hurley was born “Daniel Gomes” and has never legally changed his name. Hurley’s criminal history under the name “Gomes” includes convictions for third-degree burglary, carrying a weapon unlawfully, unauthorized use of a vehicle, second-degree burglary, obstructing an officer, and public intoxication in Oklahoma and joyriding in Tennessee. His spouse was granted an annulment because Hurley made false representations and deceived her.
Hurley is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, and he will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
The U.S. Marshals Service investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michele Hulgaard 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. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, local, and tribal 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 .
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office — Northern District of Oklahoma — U.S. Department of Justice press release.