Sand Springs Couple Sentenced for Sexually Abusing Two Minor Children

TULSA, Okla. - Today, U.S. District Judge John D. Russell ordered Shawn William Gossett, 34, to 360 months imprisonment, followed by lifetime supervised release. Upon his release, Gossett will be required to register as a sex offender. Gossett's wife, Amanda Nicole Bynum, 36, a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, was sentenced in May and ordered to 120 months imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release.

In September 2023, Gossett pled guilty to Abusive Sexual Contact with a Child Under 12 in Indian Country and Child Abuse in Indian Country. He admitted to having sexually abusive contact with two separate child victims who were under the age of 12. Gossett further admitted to physically abusing one of the child victims by kicking and choking the child.

Bynum pled guilty in August 2023 to Child Neglect in Indian Country and Enabling Child Abuse in Indian Country. She admitted to not ensuring the health, welfare, and safety of the two child victims in her care. Additionally, Bynum admitted to enabling and witnessing Gossett sexually abusing the two child victims.

Both child victims are citizens of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. Gossett and Bynum will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.

The FBI and the Creek County Sheriff's Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nathan E. Michel and Stephanie N. Ihler prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ's PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources tab on that page.