A federal jury in Yakima, Washington, convicted 25-year-old Gordon Dean Rhoan on August 5, 2026, of attempted aggravated sexual abuse of a child, following a trial in which a seven-year-old girl testified about the abuse she suffered in February 2023. Rhoan now faces a mandatory minimum of 30 years in federal prison, with a maximum of life, when he is sentenced this fall.
The trial, held before U.S. District Judge Mary K. Dimke, established that Rhoan is an enrolled member of the Confederated Bands and Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation who was living on tribal trust land belonging to the Yakama Nation in Klickitat County, Washington, at the time of the offense, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Washington. Because the offense occurred on tribal trust land, the case fell under federal jurisdiction through the Major Crimes Act, which grants federal courts authority over serious crimes, including child sexual abuse, committed by Native American individuals in Indian Country, per the U.S. Department of Justice.
Trial evidence showed that in February 2023, Rhoan attempted to engage in oral sex with the seven-year-old victim, who later provided live testimony describing the abuse before the federal jury. Her account was central to the case prosecutors built against him.
Prior Incidents Presented as Pattern of Conduct
Beyond the 2023 case, prosecutors introduced evidence of two earlier, uncharged incidents involving Rhoan. One involved the sexual assault of a 15-year-old on the Warm Springs Reservation in February 2020; the other occurred in April or May of that year, when a mother discovered Rhoan in bed with her five-year-old daughter, whose pants had been pulled down, and he was attempting to hide the child. Federal rules of evidence permit prior bad acts to be introduced in sexual assault trials to demonstrate a pattern of behavior, and prosecutors used both incidents toward that end.
FBI Seattle announced the verdict in a news release dated August 6, 2026, and in a post from the agency, FBI Seattle shared a statement from Special Agent in Charge W. Mike Herrington. “Mr. Rhoan displayed a shocking pattern of conduct endangering the most vulnerable members of his community,” Herrington said. “Protecting our children and bringing their offenders to justice is one of the most important things the FBI does. I am proud of the work by our investigators and Tribal partners, and the courage of the victims who told their stories, ensuring Mr. Rhoan was held accountable for his actions.”
Multi-Agency Investigation Spanned State and Tribal Lines
The investigation that led to Rhoan's conviction involved the FBI's Yakima and Bend, Oregon resident agencies working alongside the Columbia River Intertribal Police Department and the Warm Springs Tribal Police Department. That collaboration across state and tribal boundaries reflects the coordination often required to investigate offenses spanning multiple tribal territories in Washington and Oregon.
The federal prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Murphy and announced by First Assistant U.S. Attorney Pete Serrano of the Eastern District of Washington. Rhoan's sentencing is scheduled for October 27, 2026, when he will face the mandatory minimum of 30 years and up to life in federal prison, followed by five years to lifetime supervised release and mandatory sex offender registration.
Part of a Broader Pattern of Federal Cases Tied to Warm Springs
Rhoan's conviction follows other recent federal prosecutions connected to the Warm Springs Reservation. In July, 20-year-old Warm Springs resident Odysseus Japeth Tewee was sentenced to 15 years for child exploitation after pleading guilty to child sexual exploitation stemming from a separate investigation on the reservation. In June, another Warm Springs resident was sentenced to 50 months in prison after pleading guilty to sexual abuse of a minor in a case that also originated on the reservation.
