A Louisiana man accused of sexually assaulting three minors in Osceola County more than 20 years ago has pleaded no contest to charges, officials said.
Jason Kushmaul entered the plea Friday in 49th Circuit Court in Osceola County, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office said.
The 50-year-old is scheduled to be sentenced on May 15. In Michigan, judges treat no-contest pleas as if they were guilty pleas. Kushmaul faces up to life in prison.
He pleaded no contest to three counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct in exchange for prosecutors dropping two counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct, according to court records. Under the agreement, Kushmaul will also register as a sex offender for life.
Kushmaul’s attorney, Erin Carrier, was not immediately available for comment on Monday.
Authorities alleged he sexually assaulted three victims who were under the age of 13 between 2002 and 2008 while he lived in Osceola County.
He was initially charged in 2016 after the victims reported the assaults, but he had already left the state, according to the attorney general’s office.
Kushmaul was extradited from Tennessee by the U.S. Marshals Service under Operation Survivor Justice and charged in February.
Operation Survivor Justice is a partnership between Nessel’s office and the Marshals Service to find and arrest Michigan fugitive offenders with outstanding sexual assault warrants. It was launched in 2024, and the state contributed $1 million in funding.
“Fugitives who attempt to evade accountability not only delay closure for survivors, but they make communities less safe,” Nessel said in a statement. “I am proud of the work of prosecutors in my office and our Operation Survivor Justice partners who worked to bring justice to the victims in this case.”
Others have been charged after Operation Survivor Justice returned them to Michigan.
A former Hillsdale County man accused of sexually abusing two minors in 2025 was charged this month. He was extradited from Kentucky.
A Dallas man accused of sexually abusing a child in Oceana County in the 2000s was also extradited to Michigan in March.
Also this month, a Florida man convicted of sexually assaulting a teen relative years ago in Michigan was sentenced to 19 to 30 years in prison.
cramirez@detroitnews.com
@CharlesERamirez
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Louisiana man pleads no contest in sex assault of Osceola Co. minors
Reporting by Charles E. Ramirez, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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