District of New Mexico
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
Lovington Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Methamphetamine Trafficking ConvictionRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Michael Gibson, 28, of Lovington, N.M., was sentenced today in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M., to 90 months in prison for his conviction on a methamphetamine trafficking charge. Gibson will be on supervised release for four years after completing his prison sentence.
Gibson was arrested on May 20, 2015, on a criminal complaint charging him with distribution of methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. According to the complaint, on Sept. 10, 2014, Gibson distributed approximately 55.6 grams of methamphetamine to an undercover law enforcement agent. The complaint further alleges that Gibson possessed a pistol during the drug trafficking transaction, which he placed in his lap during the transaction.
Gibson was indicted on Oct. 14, 2015, and charged with distribution of methamphetamine and carrying a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime on Sept. 10, 2014, in Lea County, N.M. The indictment was subsequently superseded on April 21, 2016. The superseding indictment includes forfeiture provisions requiring Gibson to forfeit $2,900 to the United States.
On July 18, 2016, Gibson pled guilty to Count 1 of the superseding indictment charging him with distribution of methamphetamine. In entering the guilty plea, Gibson admitted that on Sept. 10, 2014, he sold approximately 49.54 grams of methamphetamine to an undercover law enforcement agent.
This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Lea County Drug Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Selesia L. Winston and Renee L. Camacho prosecuted the case.
The Lea County Drug Task Force is comprised of officers from the Lea County Sheriff’s Office, Hobbs Police Department, Lovington Police Department, Eunice Police Department the Tatum Police Department and the Jal Police Department, and is part of the NM HIDTA Region VI Drug Task Force. The High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program was created by Congress with the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988. HIDTA is a program of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) which provides assistance to federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies operating in areas determined to be critical drug-trafficking regions of the United States and seeks to reduce drug trafficking and production by facilitating coordinated law enforcement activities and information sharing.
Socorro Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Meth Trafficking ChargesRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Carlos Tafoya, Jr., 35, of Socorro, N.M., pled guilty today in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M., to methamphetamine trafficking charges. Under the terms of his plea agreement, Tafoya will be sentenced within the range of 12 to 13 years in prison followed by a term of supervised release to be determined by the court.
Tafoya was one of 34 individuals charged in December 2015, with federal and tribal drug offenses as the result of an 18-month multi-agency investigation led by the DEA and BIA into methamphetamine trafficking on the Mescalero Apache Reservation. Eighteen defendants, including five members of the Mescalero Apache Tribe and 13 non-Natives were charged in six federal indictments and a federal criminal complaint. Sixteen other members of the Mescalero Apache Tribe were charged in tribal criminal complaints approved by the Mescalero Apache Tribal Court.
The investigation leading to the federal and tribal charges was initiated in May 2014, in response to an increase in violent crime on the Mescalero Apache Reservation perpetrated by methamphetamine users. The investigation initially targeted a drug trafficking organization that was allegedly distributing methamphetamine within the Reservation, and later expanded to include two other drug trafficking organizations in southeastern New Mexico that allegedly served as sources of supply for the methamphetamine distributed within the Reservation. In Aug. 2014, the investigation was designated as part of the Justice Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program, which combines the resources and unique expertise of federal agencies, along with their local counterparts, in a coordinated effort to disrupt and dismantle major drug trafficking organizations. The investigation is one of the first OCDETF investigations to utilize electronic surveillance (wiretaps) in Indian Country. More than ten kilograms of methamphetamine were seized during the course of the investigation.
Tafoya was arrested on Nov. 20, 2015, on an indictment charging him and seven other non-Natives with methamphetamine trafficking and money laundering offenses. The indictment charged Tafoya with participation in a methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy and possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute.
The indictment against Tafoya was superseded on Sept. 21, 2016, and charged Tafoya with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine from July 1, 2015 through Nov. 13, 2015; distribution of methamphetamine on Oct. 15, 2015; possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute on Nov. 13, 2015; and possession of a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime on Nov. 13, 2015. According to the superseding indictment, all offenses took place in Socorro County, N.M. The superseding indictment also included forfeiture provisions requiring Tafoya to forfeit $24,500 to the United States.
During today’s proceedings, Tafoya pled guilty to distribution of methamphetamine and possession of methamphetamine. In entering the guilty plea, Tafoya admitted that on Oct. 15, 2016, he sold 364.2 grams of methamphetamine to an undercover law enforcement agent and on Nov. 13, 2015, he possessed approximately 1.2 kilograms of methamphetamine which he intended to sell. Tafoya further admitted that he was on supervised release for a prior conviction when he committed the methamphetamine trafficking offenses on Oct. 15, 2015 and Nov. 13, 2015. Tafoya remains in custody pending a sentencing hearing which has yet to be scheduled.
Sixteen of the 18 federal defendants have entered guilty pleas. The two remaining federal defendants have entered not guilty pleas to the charges against them. Charges in indictments are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent unless found guilty in a court of law.
The federal and tribal cases were investigated by the Las Cruces office of the DEA, District IV of the BIA’s Office of Justice Services (Mescalero Agency), BIA’s Division of Drug Enforcement, Mescalero Tribal Police Department, Hatch Police Department, FBI and Lea County Drug Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Terri J. Abernathy and Clara Cobos of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office are prosecuting the federal cases, and Mescalero Tribal Prosecutor Melissa Chavez is prosecuting the tribal cases.
Navajo Man Sentenced to 12 Years for Federal Voluntary Manslaughter ConvictionRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Gary John Bedoni, 60, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation who resides in Fruitland, N.M., was sentenced today in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to 144 months in prison for his voluntary manslaughter conviction. Bedoni will be on supervised release for three years following his prison sentence.
Bedoni was arrested on Feb. 10, 2016, on a criminal complaint charging him with assaulting a woman resulting in serious bodily injury on Jan. 31, 2016, on the Navajo Indian Reservation in San Juan County, N.M. According to the criminal complaint, Bedoni caused the victim to suffer a fractured neck, spinal cord trauma, bruising to her chest and arms, and the victim was unable to move her arms or legs.
Bedoni was subsequently indicted on March 8, 2016, and charged with second degree murder of the victim in San Juan County.
On July 21, 2016, Bedoni entered a guilty plea to a felony information charging him with voluntary manslaughter. In entering the guilty plea, Bedoni admitted that on the night of January 31, 2016, he pushed the victim down some steps causing her to sustain broken vertebrae and spinal cord trauma. Bedoni acknowledged that the victim died from complications of those injuries on February 20, 2016.
This case was investigated by the Farmington office of the FBI and the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Adams and Nicholas Marshall prosecuted the case as part of the Tribal Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (Tribal SAUSA) Pilot Project in the District of New Mexico which is sponsored by the Justice Department’s Office on Violence Against Women under a grant administered by the Pueblo of Laguna. The Tribal SAUSA Pilot Project seeks to train tribal prosecutors in federal law, procedure and investigative techniques to increase the likelihood that every viable violent offense against Native women is prosecuted in either federal court or tribal court, or both. The Tribal SAUSA Pilot Project was largely driven by input gathered from annual tribal consultations on violence against women, and is another step in the Justice Department's on-going efforts to increase engagement, coordination and action on public safety in tribal communities.
Navajo Man Pleads Guilty to Discharging a Firearm During Crime of ViolenceRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Norman Yazzie, 56, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation who resides in Shiprock, N.M., pled guilty this morning in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to using and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. Under the terms of his plea agreement, Yazzie will be sentenced to ten years in prison followed by a term of supervised release to be determined by the court.
Yazzie was arrested in May 2016, on a criminal complaint charging him with assault and firearms offenses on April 29, 2016, on the Navajo Indian Reservation in San Juan County, N.M. According to the complaint, Yazzie shot the victim with a rifle in the forehead and the knee resulting in serious bodily injury.
Yazzie was subsequently indicted on May 24, 2016, and charged with assault with a dangerous weapon, a rifle, with intent to do bodily harm, assault resulting in serious bodily injury and using and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. According to the indictment, the offenses took place on April 29, 2016 in San Juan County.
During today’s proceedings, Yazzie pled guilty to discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. In entering the guilty plea, Yazzie admitted that on April 29, 2016, he shot the victim in the head and knee with a rifle. A sentencing hearing has yet to be scheduled.
This case was investigated by the Farmington office of the FBI and the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Novaline D. Wilson is prosecuting the case as part of the Tribal Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (Tribal SAUSA) Pilot Project in the District of New Mexico, which is sponsored by the Justice Department’s Office on Violence Against Women under a grant administered by the Pueblo of Laguna. The Tribal SAUSA Pilot Project seeks to train tribal prosecutors in federal law, procedure and investigative techniques to increase the likelihood that every viable violent offense against Native American women is prosecuted in either federal court or tribal court, or both. The Tribal SAUSA Pilot Project was largely driven by input gathered from annual tribal consultations on violence against women, and is another step in the Justice Department's on-going efforts to increase engagement, coordination and action on public safety in tribal communities.
Nambe Pueblo Man Pleads Guilty to Assaulting Intimate PartnerRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Anthony Nieto, 29, an enrolled member of Nambe Pueblo who resides in Zuni, N.M., pled guilty today in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to an assault charge. Under the terms of his plea agreement, Nieto will be sentenced to 24 months in prison followed by a term of supervised release to be determined by the court.
Nieto was arrested on June 21, 2016, on an indictment charging him with assaulting his intimate partner and causing her to suffer serious bodily injury. According to the indictment, Nieto committed the crime on Aug. 16, 2015, in Nambe Pueblo in Santa Fe County, N.M.
During today’s proceedings, Nieto pled guilty to the indictment and admitted assaulting the victim on Aug. 16, 2015, by striking and kicking her, and causing her to suffer serious bodily injury. More specifically, Nieto admitted that the victim sustained bruising on her face, arms and lower extremities as a result of the assault.
Nieto has been in federal custody since his arrest and remains detained pending his sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled.
This case was investigated by the FBI office in Santa Fe and the Northern Pueblos Agency of the BIA’s Office of Justice Services and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David Adams.
This case was brought as part of the Tribal Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (Tribal SAUSA) Pilot Project in the District of New Mexico, which is sponsored by the Justice Department’s Office on Violence Against Women under a grant administered by the Pueblo of Laguna. The Tribal SAUSA Pilot Project seeks to train tribal prosecutors in federal law, procedure and investigative techniques to increase the likelihood that every viable violent offense against Native American women is prosecuted in either federal court or tribal court, or both. The Tribal SAUSA Pilot Project was largely driven by input gathered from annual tribal consultations on violence against women, and is another step in the Justice Department's on-going efforts to increase engagement, coordination and action on public safety in tribal communities.
Mescalero Apache Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Sexual Abuse ChargeRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Michael Ellis Treas-Baca, 31, an enrolled member of the Mescalero Apache Nation who resides in Mescalero, N.M., pled guilty today in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M., to a sexual abuse charge. Under the terms of his plea agreement, Treas-Baca will be sentenced to 78 months in prison followed by a term of supervised release to be determined by the court. Treas-Baca will also be required to register as a sex offender when he completes his prison sentence.
Treas-Baca was arrested on April 7, 2016, on a criminal complaint charging him with sexually abusing a Mescalero Apache woman on Sept. 13, 2015, on the Mescalero Apache Indian Reservation in Otero County, N.M.
During today’s proceedings, Treas-Baca pled guilty to a felony information charging him with sexual abuse. In entering the guilty plea, Treas-Baca admitted that on Sept. 13, 2016, he sexually abused the victim while the victim was unconscious and physically incapable of declining participating in the sexual act. A sentencing hearing has yet to be scheduled.
This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of the FBI and the Mescalero Agency of the BIA’s Office of Justice Services and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron O. Jordan of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office.
Mescalero Apache Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Involuntary Manslaughter ChargeRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Paul Raymond Garcia, 19, an enrolled member of the Mescalero Apache Nation who resides in Mescalero, N.M., pled guilty today in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M., to an involuntary manslaughter charge.
Garcia was arrested in Jan. 2016, on a criminal complaint charging him with involuntary manslaughter. According to the complaint, Garcia killed a Mescalero Apache woman when he crashed his vehicle on March 23, 2015, on the Mescalero Apache Indian Reservation in Otero County, N.M. At the time of the crash, Garcia was driving under the influence of alcohol. Garcia was subsequently indicted on the same charge on June 22, 2016.
During today’s proceedings, Garcia pled guilty to the indictment and admitted killing the victim by driving recklessly while under the influence of alcohol. Garcia acknowledged that the alcohol rendered him incapable of exercising clear judgment and a steady hand in operating the vehicle.
This case was investigated by the Mescalero Agency of the BIA’s Office of Justice Services and the New Mexico State Police and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron O. Jordan of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office.
Isleta Pueblo Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Child Sexual Abuse ChargeRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Juan Larry Lujan, 63, a member and resident of Isleta Pueblo, N.M., pled guilty today in federal court in Santa Fe, N.M., to an abusive sexual contact charge.
Lujan was arrested in Feb. 2016, on an indictment charging with sexually abusing a child under the age of 12, on the Isleta Pueblo in Valencia County, N.M.
During today’s proceedings, Lujan pled guilty to a felony information charging him with abusive sexual contact. In entering the guilty plea, Lujan admitted sexually abusing a child under the age of 12 sometime between Nov. 30, 2011 through Nov. 30, 2013.
At sentencing, Lujan faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. He will also be required to register as a sex offender. A sentencing hearing has yet to be scheduled.
This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the FBI. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Spindle as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and DOJ’s Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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 http://www.justice.gov/psc/.
Former Employee of Albuquerque Halfway House Sentenced to Prison for Sexually Abusing Female InmatesRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez and Special Agent in Charge Monte A. Cason of the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General, Dallas Field Office, announced that a former employee of a halfway house in Albuquerque, N.M., was sentenced this morning to 100 months in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release for sexually abusing six female inmates who were under his custodial authority.
Eric Trujillo, 36, of Albuquerque, N.M., was arrested in Nov. 2015, on a seven-count indictment charging him with aggravated sexual abuse and sexual abuse of persons in official detention. The indictment charged Trujillo with sexually abusing four women who were living at a halfway house in Bernalillo County, N.M., that provided lodging and other services for federal inmates under a contract with the U.S. Bureau of Prisons. According to the indictment, Trujillo committed the crimes between June 2012 and March 2014, while he was employed as a resident monitor by the halfway house.
The indictment was superseded on March 23, 2016, to add two more sexual abuse charges. The new charges alleged that between May 2012 and Sept. 7, 2012, Trujillo sexually assaulted two more women who were residing at the halfway house.
Trujillo pled guilty in federal court on May 23, 2016, to a six-count felony information charging him with sexually abusing persons in official detention. In entering the guilty plea, Trujillo admitted that between May 2012 and March 2014, he engaged in sexual acts with six female inmates who were living at the halfway house pursuant to a contract with the U.S. Bureau of Prisons. Trujillo acknowledged that at the time, he was employed as a resident monitor and guard by the halfway house and that the victims were in official detention and under his custodial, supervisory and disciplinary authority.
This case was investigated by the Dallas Field Office of the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General with assistance from the Albuquerque Police Department, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Novaline D. Wilson and Sarah J. Mease.
Navajo Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Involuntary Manslaughter ChargesRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Tracey Beaver, 38, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation who resides in Pinehill, N.M., pled guilty today in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to involuntary manslaughter charges.
Beaver was arrested on Sept. 24, 2016, on a criminal complaint charging him with involuntary manslaughter. According to the complaint, Beaver killed two victims when he crashed his vehicle on Sept. 9, 2016, on the Ramah Navajo Indian Reservation in Cibola County, N.M. At the time of the crash, Beaver was driving under the influence of alcohol.
During today’s proceedings, Beaver pled guilty to a felony information charging him with two counts of involuntary manslaughter. In entering the guilty plea, Beaver admitted killing the two victims by driving recklessly while under the influence of alcohol. Beaver acknowledged that the alcohol rendered him incapable of exercising clear judgment and a steady hand in operating the vehicle.
This case was investigated by the Gallup office of the FBI, the New Mexico State Police and the Ramah Navajo Police Department and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Marshall.
Las Cruces Woman Pleads Guilty to Federal Methamphetamine Trafficking ChargeRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Virginia Ilene Faudoa, 39, of Las Cruces, N.M., pled guilty today in federal court to a methamphetamine trafficking charge.
Faudoa was arrested on July 7, 2016, on a criminal complaint charging her with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and possession of a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime on Feb. 16, 2016, in Dona Ana County, N.M. According to the complaint, on Feb. 16, 2016, the HIDTA Regional Interagency Drug Task Force/Metro Narcotics Task Force agents located a handgun with ammunition, approximately 12.4 grams of methamphetamine packaged for distribution and drug paraphernalia inside Faudoa’s hotel room.
Faudoa was subsequently indicted on Oct. 19, 2016, and charged with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute on Feb. 16, 2016, in Dona Ana County.
During today’s proceedings, Faudoa pled guilty to a felony information charging her with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and admitted that on Feb. 16, 2016, law enforcement agents searched her hotel room and located approximately 12 grams of methamphetamine after receiving information that she was selling methamphetamine out of the room.
At sentencing, Faudoa faces a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. She remains in custody pending a sentencing hearing which has yet to be scheduled.
This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of the DEA and the HIDTA Regional Interagency Drug Task Force/Metro Narcotics Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark A. Saltman of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office is prosecuting the case.
The HIDTA Regional Interagency Drug Task Force/Metro Narcotics Task Force is comprised of officers from the Las Cruces Police Department, the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI, HSI and the New Mexico State Police. The High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program was created by Congress with the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988. HIDTA is a program of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) which provides assistance to federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies operating in areas determined to be critical drug-trafficking regions of the United States and seeks to reduce drug trafficking and production by facilitating coordinated law enforcement activities and information sharing.
Isleta Pueblo Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Assault ChargeRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Felipe Lucero, 25, an enrolled member of the Isleta Pueblo who resides in Los Lunas, N.M., pled guilty today in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to an assault charge.
Lucero was arrested on May 12, 2016, on an indictment charging him with assault with a dangerous weapon, a vehicle, and assault resulting in serious bodily injury. According to the indictment, Lucero committed the crimes on Dec. 27, 2015, on the Isleta Pueblo in Valencia County, N.M.
During today’s proceedings, Lucero pled guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon and admitted that on Dec. 27, 2015, he injured the victim by intentionally driving a motor vehicle into the victim.
At sentencing, Lucero faces a statutory maximum penalty of ten years in federal prison. He remains in custody pending a sentencing hearing which has yet to be scheduled.
This case was investigated by the Southern Pueblos Agency of the BIA’s Office of Justice Services and the Pueblo of Isleta Tribal Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Spindle is prosecuting the case.
Albuquerque Pediatric Surgeon Facing Federal Child Pornography ChargeRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Albuquerque, N.M., pediatric surgeon Guy Rosenschein, 63, made his initial appearance today in federal court on a criminal complaint charging him with possession and distribution of child pornography. Rosenschein remains in federal custody pending a preliminary hearing and a detention hearing, which are scheduled for Monday, Nov. 14, 2016.
The criminal complaint alleges that Rosenschein possessed and distributed child pornography on Nov. 8, 2016, in Bernalillo County, N.M. According to the complaint, the investigation into Rosenschein was initiated in July 2016, when the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) identified a computer with an IP address, later determined to be subscribed to Rosenschein that allegedly was used to distribute child pornography. The complaint alleges that, on Nov. 8, 2016, a search warrant was executed at Rosenschein’s residence, and BCSO officers and detectives found that Rosenschein possessed a thumb drive containing child pornography. Rosenschein was arrested that day on related state charges.
If convicted of the distribution of child pornography charge, Rosenschein faces a statutory mandatory minimum penalty of five years and maximum of 20 years in federal prison. If convicted on the possession charge, he faces a statutory maximum penalty of ten years in federal prison. Charges in criminal complaints are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent unless found guilty in a court of law.
This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the FBI and the BCSO. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathon M. Gerson is prosecuting the case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and DOJ’s Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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 http://www.justice.gov/psc/.
Albuquerque Man Pleads Guilty to Violating Federal Firearms and Heroin Trafficking LawsRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Gerald Herrera, 30, of Albuquerque, N.M., pled guilty today in federal court to violating the federal firearms and narcotics laws.
Herrera was arrested on April 7, 2016, on an indictment charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, possession of methamphetamine and heroin with intent to distribute and possession of a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime. According to the indictment, Herrera committed the offenses on July 8, 2015, in Bernalillo County, N.M. Herrera was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because he previously had been convicted of receiving or transferring a stolen vehicle, tampering with evidence, possession of cocaine, homicide by vehicle and auto burglary.
During today’s proceedings, Herrera pled guilty to possession of heroin with intent to distribute and carrying a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime. In entering the guilty plea, Herrera admitted that on July 8, 2015, Albuquerque Police Department (APD) officers found a firearm, ammunition and individually packaged bags of heroin and methamphetamine on him and in his vehicle when he was the subject of a traffic stop.
At sentencing, Herrera faces a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on the heroin charge as well as a statutory mandatory penalty of at least five years for the firearms charge which must be served consecutively to any other sentence imposed. Herrera remains in custody pending a sentencing hearing which has yet to be scheduled.
This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the APD. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rumaldo R. Armijo is prosecuting the case as part of the New Mexico Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education (HOPE) Initiative. The HOPE Initiative was launched in January 2015 by the UNM Health Sciences Center and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in response to the national opioid epidemic, which has had a disproportionately devastating impact on New Mexico. Opioid addiction has taken a toll on public safety, public health and the economic viability of our communities. Working in partnership with the DEA, the Bernalillo County Opioid Accountability Initiative, Healing Addiction in our Community (HAC), the Albuquerque Public Schools and other community stakeholders, HOPE’s principal goals are to protect our communities from the dangers associated with heroin and opioid painkillers and reducing the number of opioid-related deaths in New Mexico.
The HOPE Initiative is comprised of five components: (1) prevention and education; (2) treatment; (3) law enforcement; (4) reentry; and (5) strategic planning. HOPE’s law enforcement component is led by the Organized Crime Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the DEA in conjunction with their federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement partners. Targeting members of major heroin and opioid trafficking organizations for investigation and prosecution is a priority of the HOPE Initiative. Learn more about the New Mexico HOPE Initiative at http://www.HopeInitiativeNM.org.
Raton Woman Sentenced to 66 Months for Federal Drug Trafficking ConvictionRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Sara Marie Martinez, 36, of Raton, N.M., was sentenced today in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to 66 months in prison for her conviction on heroin and methamphetamine trafficking charges. Martinez will be on supervised release for six years after completing her prison sentence. The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez and Special Agent in Charge Will R. Glaspy of the DEA’s El Paso Division.
Martinez and her co-defendant Ernest Cordova, 45, of Albuquerque, were indicted on March 8, 2016. The three-count indictment charged Cordova with participating in a drug trafficking conspiracy, and Cordova and Martinez with possessing heroin and methamphetamine with intent to distribute. According to the indictment, Cordova and Martinez committed the three crimes in Bernalillo County, N.M.
Cordova, who has six prior felony convictions, was arrested in Feb. 2016, on a criminal complaint charging him with trafficking in heroin and methamphetamine from Jan. 22, 2016 through Feb. 18, 2016. According to the criminal complaint, DEA agents observed Cordova engage in several drug deals in the Albuquerque-area during this period. During the execution of a search warrant at Cordova’s residence on Feb. 18, 2016, the DEA found 134 grams of heroin and 82 grams of methamphetamine.
Martinez entered a guilty plea Aug. 9, 2016, to heroin and methamphetamine trafficking charges without the benefit of a plea agreement.
Cordova pled guilty to the indictment on March 14, 2016, without the benefit of a plea agreement. Cordova was sentenced on Aug. 18, 2016, to 96 months in prison followed by four years of supervised release.
This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the DEA and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander M. Uballez as part of a federal anti-violence initiative that targets “the worst of the worst” offenders for federal prosecution. Under this initiative, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and federal law enforcement agencies work with New Mexico’s District Attorneys and state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to target violent or repeat offenders for federal prosecution with the goal of removing repeat offenders from communities in New Mexico for as long as possible. In recognition that New Mexico’s violent crime rates, on a per capita basis, are amongst the highest in the nation, New Mexico’s law enforcement community has come together to is collaborating the initiative is significantly exceed the national average.
The case was also prosecuted as part of the New Mexico Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education (HOPE) Initiative. The HOPE Initiative was launched in January 2015 by the UNM Health Sciences Center and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in response to the national opioid epidemic, which has had a disproportionately devastating impact on New Mexico. Opioid addiction has taken a toll on public safety, public health and the economic viability of our communities. Working in partnership with the DEA, the Bernalillo County Opioid Accountability Initiative, Healing Addiction in our Community (HAC), the Albuquerque Public Schools and other community stakeholders, HOPE’s principal goals are to protect our communities from the dangers associated with heroin and opioid painkillers and reducing the number of opioid-related deaths in New Mexico.
The HOPE Initiative is comprised of five components: (1) prevention and education; (2) treatment; (3) law enforcement; (4) reentry; and (5) strategic planning. HOPE’s law enforcement component is led by the Organized Crime Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the DEA in conjunction with their federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement partners. Targeting members of major heroin and opioid trafficking organizations for investigation and prosecution is a priority of the HOPE Initiative. Learn more about the New Mexico HOPE Initiative at http://www.HopeInitiativeNM.org.
Navajo Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Involuntary Manslaughter ConvictionRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Rob Begay, 24, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation who resides in Twin Lakes, N.M., was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to 30 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for his involuntary manslaughter conviction.
Begay was arrested on Dec. 2, 2015, on a criminal complaint charging him with involuntary manslaughter. Begay was indicted on Dec. 17, 2015, and was charged with killing a Navajo woman on Nov. 28, 2015, while driving under the influence of alcohol. According to the indictment, Begay committed the crime on the Navajo Indian Reservation in McKinley County, N.M.
On July 26, 2016, Begay pled guilty to the indictment and admitted killing the victim by driving recklessly while under the influence of alcohol. Begay admitted that because of his intoxication he was incapable of exercising clear judgment and a steady hand in operating a vehicle.
This case was investigated by the Crownpoint office of the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Burkhead.
Albuquerque Man Sentenced to 12 Years for Discharging Firearm During Attempted Robbery of RestaurantRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Peter Pagan, 23, of Albuquerque, N.M., was sentenced yesterday in federal court to 147 months in prison for violating the Hobbs Act by attempting to rob an Albuquerque-area fast food restaurant and discharging a firearm during the attempted robbery. Pagan will be on supervised release for three years following his prison sentence.
Pagan was charged by criminal complaint in Oct. 2015, with discharging a firearm while attempting to rob the Blake’s Lotaburger located at 6215 San Antonio Dr. NE in Albuquerque on Jan. 27, 2015. According to the complaint, Pagan entered the restaurant, pointed a firearm at employees, and demanded money. When the employees were unable to open the cash register, Pagan shot a round of ammunition into the ceiling before running out of the restaurant. When a customer attempted to chase him down, Pagan fired nine rounds into the customer’s vehicle.
Pagan was indicted on Nov. 17, 2015, and was charged with violating the Hobbs Act and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. According to the indictment, Pagan committed the crimes on Jan. 27, 2015, in Bernalillo County, N.M.
On Aug. 8, 2016, Pagan pled guilty to the indictment. In entering the guilty plea, Pagan admitted that on Jan. 27, 2015, he entered a Blake’s Lotaburger armed with a loaded handgun and demanded money. Pagan further admitted firing a round into the ceiling of the restaurant when employees were unable to open the cash register.
State charges against Pagan were dismissed in favor of federal prosecution.
This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Albuquerque Police Department with assistance from the 2nd Judicial District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul H. Spiers and Rumaldo R. Armijo prosecuted the case.
This case is being prosecuted as part of a federal anti-violence initiative that targets “the worst of the worst” offenders for federal prosecution. Under this initiative, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and federal law enforcement agencies work with New Mexico’s District Attorneys and state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to target violent or repeat offenders for federal prosecution with the goal of removing repeat offenders from communities in New Mexico for as long as possible. In recognition that New Mexico’s violent crime rates, on a per capita basis, are amongst the highest in the nation, New Mexico’s law enforcement community has come together to is collaborating the initiative is significantly exceed the national average.
Rio Rancho Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Child Sexual Exploitation ChargeRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Joe Medina, 37, of Rio Rancho, N.M., pled guilty yesterday in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to enticing a child to travel in interstate commerce for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity. Under the terms of his plea agreement, Medina will be sentenced to eight years in prison followed by 15 years of supervised release.
Medina was arrested in Indianapolis, Ind., on July 20, 2015, on a federal arrest warrant issued on a criminal complaint filed by the FBI in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico. The criminal complaint charged Medina with kidnapping and transporting a minor in interstate commerce for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity.
According to the criminal complaint, on July 9, 2015, the victim’s mother filed a missing person’s report to the Rio Rancho Police Department (RRPD) asserting that the victim was missing. According to the complaint, after the mother learned that Medina and the victim had been communicating with each other, the victim terminated communications with Medina. The mother reported that on July 7, 2015, Medina called the victim and threatened to kidnap her and kill her mother if he was denied contact with the victim.
The RRPD’s investigation revealed that Medina took the victim to Denver, Colo., where they boarded a bus. On July 12, 2015, Medina was arrested on a New Mexico state warrant when Medina and the victim were found on a bus that had stopped in Indianapolis.
During a July 13, 2015, interview with the FBI, the victim stated that on July 9, 2015, Medina arrived outside her home and the victim agreed to go with him out of fear. The victim also told the FBI that Medina took her from Albuquerque to Denver where they abandoned Medina’s car and boarded a bus. After departing Denver, Medina and the victim were eventually located in Indianapolis.
Medina was indicted on Aug. 11, 2015, and was charged with transporting a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity between July 9, 2015 and July 12, 2015, and coercing and enticing a minor to produce visual depictions of sexually explicit conduct.
During yesterday’s proceedings, Medina pled guilty to a felony information charging him with coercion or enticement. In entering the guilty plea, Medina admitted that from July 9, 2015 through July 12, 2015, he enticed the 16-years-old victim to leave Sandoval County, N.M., with the intent to travel to New York, where Medina intended to engage in sexual activity. Medina remains in custody pending a sentencing hearing which has yet to be scheduled.
This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the FBI and the Rio Rancho Police Department, Corrales Police Department, the Denver Police Department and the New Mexico Regional Computer Forensic Laboratory, with assistance from the 13th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Indiana State Police and the FBI in Indianapolis. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Mease is prosecuting the case.
The case is brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and DOJ’s Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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 http://www.justice.gov/psc/.
Non-Indian Man from Albuquerque Sentenced for Burglarizing Two Isleta Pueblo HomesRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Roman I. Trujillo, 29, a non-Indian man residing in Albuquerque, N.M., was sentenced today in federal court to 23 months in prison for burglarizing two homes in Isleta Pueblo, N.M. Trujillo will be on supervised release for one year after completing his prison sentenced
Trujillo and his co-defendant, Danielle Bercier, 35, a non-Indian woman who also resides in Albuquerque, were arrested on Jan. 29, 2015, and charged in a criminal complaint with burglary offenses. According to the complaint, on Jan. 29, 2015, officers of the Isleta Pueblo Tribal Police Department responded to calls regarding burglaries at two residences in the Pueblo. At the second residence that was burglarized, officers came upon Trujillo who was fleeing from the residence in a vehicle in which Bercier was a passenger. Trujillo led the officers on a chase which ended when Trujillo crashed his vehicle.
Trujillo and Bercier were subsequently charged in a four-count indictment filed on Feb. 25, 2015. The indictment charged both Trujillo and Bercier with two counts of burglary of a dwelling. It also charged Trujillo alone with driving a vehicle in a manner that endangered the life of another person and receiving stolen property, the truck he was driving, on Jan. 28, 2014, in Indian Country in Valencia County, N.M.
On Nov. 18, 2015, Trujillo pled guilty to the two burglary counts and admitted that on Jan. 29, 2015, he forced his way into two homes in Isleta Pueblo while Bercier stayed outside as his lookout. Trujillo admitted that in the first home he stole property worth $1,500.00, and at the second home he stole two cellphones. Trujillo acknowledged that he knew or should have known that the truck he was driving as he attempted to evade arrest was a stolen vehicle.
On March 29, 2016, Bercier pled guilty to one count of burglary and admitted that Trujillo forced himself into a home in Isleta Pueblo and removed $1,500 worth of property while Bercier remained outside as a lookout. Bercier was sentenced on Aug. 17, 2016, to three years of probation.
This case was investigated by the Southern Pueblos Agency of the BIA’s Office of Justice Services and the Isleta Pueblo Tribal Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle T. Nayback prosecuted the case.
Navajo Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Assault ConvictionRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Patrick Wadsworth, 47, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation who resides in Sanostee, N.M., was sentenced today in federal court to 27 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for his conviction on an assault charge.
Wadsworth was arrested on Jan. 22, 2016, on an indictment charging him with assaulting a woman resulting in serious bodily injury on Nov. 6, 2014, in San Juan County, N.M.
On June 27, 2016, Wadsworth pled guilty to the indictment and admitted that on Nov. 6, 2014, he assaulted the victim by striking her and causing bruising to her face, arms and knees. Wadsworth further admitted that the crime took place as his residence on the Navajo Indian Reservation in San Juan County.
This case was investigated by the Farmington office of the FBI, the Farmington Police Department and the Shiprock Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elaine Y. Ramirez prosecuted the case as part of the Tribal Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (Tribal SAUSA) Pilot Project in the District of New Mexico which is sponsored by the Justice Department’s Office on Violence Against Women under a grant administered by the Pueblo of Laguna. The Tribal SAUSA Pilot Project seeks to train tribal prosecutors in federal law, procedure and investigative techniques to increase the likelihood that every viable violent offense against Native women is prosecuted in either federal court or tribal court, or both. The Tribal SAUSA Pilot Project was largely driven by input gathered from annual tribal consultations on violence against women, and is another step in the Justice Department's on-going efforts to increase engagement, coordination and action on public safety in tribal communities.
Las Cruces Woman Sentenced to Prison for Federal Methamphetamine Trafficking ConvictionRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Marlene C. Sandoval, 39, of Las Cruces, N.M., was sentenced today in federal court to 60 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for her methamphetamine trafficking conviction.
Sandoval and her co-defendant David S. Thompson, 29, were arrested in Nov. 2015, on a criminal complaint charging them with methamphetamine trafficking charges on Oct. 16, 2015, in Doña Ana County, N.M. Sandoval and Thompson were arrested after law enforcement officers found crystal methamphetamine inside the vehicle Sandoval and Thompson were driving during a routine traffic stop. Sandoval and Thompson were subsequently indicted on Feb. 17, 2016, and charged with conspiracy and possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute.
On April 19, 2016, Sandoval and Thompson each entered a guilty plea to a conspiracy to possess methamphetamine with intent to distribute charge. They admitted being pulled over for speeding on Oct. 16, 2015, by New Mexico Department of Transportation officers. After obtaining consent from Sandoval and Thompson to search their vehicle, the officers found 499 grams of methamphetamine in a shoe in the vehicle. Sandoval and Thompson also admitted that they intended to distribute the methamphetamine in Las Cruces.
Thompson was sentenced on Sept. 26, 2016, to 36 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release.
This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of the DEA, the New Mexico Department of Transportation Police, the Las Cruces Police Department and the HIDTA Regional Interagency Drug Task Force/Metro Narcotics Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark A. Saltman of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office prosecuted the case.
The HIDTA Regional Interagency Drug Task Force/Metro Narcotics Task Force is comprised of officers from the Las Cruces Police Department, the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI, HSI and the New Mexico State Police. The High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program was created by Congress with the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988. HIDTA is a program of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) which provides assistance to federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies operating in areas determined to be critical drug-trafficking regions of the United States and seeks to reduce drug trafficking and production by facilitating coordinated law enforcement activities and information sharing.
Colfax County Man Pleads Guilty to Assaulting Federal EmployeeRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Cody Martinez, 30, of Raton, N.M., pled guilty last week in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to assaulting a federal employee. The guilty plea was announced by U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez, 8th Judicial District Attorney Donald Gallegos, and Inspector in Charge Keith Fixel of the Phoenix Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
Martinez was arrested on Jan. 29, 2016, on a federal criminal complaint for assaulting a U.S. Postal Service (USPS) letter carrier. According to the criminal complaint, Martinez struck the victim in the back of the head with a brick while the victim was delivering mail in Colfax County, N.M., on Jan. 20, 2016. Martinez was apprehended shortly thereafter while attempting to flee from law enforcement officers. The victim sustained serious injuries as a result of the assault.
Martinez was indicted on Feb. 24, 2016, and was charged with assaulting a federal employee resulting in bodily injury. On Nov. 4, 2016, Martinez pled guilty to the indictment and admitted that on Jan. 20, 2016, he assaulted a federal employee, a mail carrier, by striking him in the head with a dangerous weapon, a brick, causing bodily injury.
At sentencing, Martinez faces a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. He remains in custody pending a sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled.
Martinez was arrested on Jan. 20, 2016 on local charges filed by the 8th Judicial District Attorney’s Office. Those charges were dismissed in favor of federal prosecution.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Raton Police Department, with assistance from the 8th Judicial District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Presiliano Torrez is prosecuting the case.
Chaves County Man Sentenced to Prison for Violating Federal Firearms LawsRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Abel Montoya, 53, of Lake Arthur, N.M., was sentenced today in Las Cruces, N.M., federal court to 33 months in prison for violating the federal firearms laws. Montoya will be on supervised release for three years after completing his prison sentence.
Montoya was arrested on Oct. 21, 2015, on a criminal complaint charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm on Feb. 27, 2014. On that day, the Pecos Valley Drug Task Force (PVDTF) executed a search warrant at Montoya’s residence and seized two firearms.
Montoya was subsequently indicted on Jan. 20, 2016, and charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. At the time, Montoya was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because he previously had been convicted of cocaine trafficking and possession of methamphetamine.
On May 25, 2016, Montoya pled guilty to the indictment and admitted that on Feb. 27, 2014, he possessed two firearms, one of which had an obliterated serial number. Montoya acknowledged that he was prohibited from possessing firearms because of his status as a convicted felon.
This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the PVDTF with assistance from the 5th Judicial District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Randy M. Castellano prosecuted the case.
The Pecos Valley Drug Task Force is comprised of officers from the Eddy County Sheriff’s Office, Carlsbad Police Department and Artesia Police Department and is part of the HIDTA Region VI Drug Task Force. The High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program was created by Congress with the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988. HIDTA is a program of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) which provides assistance to federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies operating in areas determined to be critical drug-trafficking regions of the United States and seeks to reduce drug trafficking and production by facilitating coordinated law enforcement activities and information sharing.
Albuquerque Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Drug Trafficking ChargesRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Johnny Ramirez, 34, of Albuquerque, N.M., was sentenced today in federal court to 84 months in prison for violating the federal drug trafficking laws. Ramirez will be on supervised release for four years following his prison sentence.
Ramirez and his co-defendant Larry Valadez, 34, also of Albuquerque, were charged on Dec. 1, 2015, with drug trafficking offenses in an eight-count indictment. Ramirez and Valadez were charged with conspiring to distribute methamphetamine and heroin in May 2015, and with distributing methamphetamine and heroin in May 2015 and June 2015. According to the indictment, all eight offenses occurred in Bernalillo County, N.M.
On Aug. 1, 2016, Ramirez pled guilty to two methamphetamine distribution counts and one heroin distribution count. In entering the guilty plea, Ramirez admitted that on May 19, 2015, he arranged for a co-conspirator to sell 23.52 grams of methamphetamine and 4.3 grams of heroin to an individual who was working with the FBI. Ramirez also admitted that on June 16, 2015, he sold 14.71 grams of methamphetamine to the same individual working with the FBI. Ramirez acknowledged that the drug deals took place in Albuquerque.
On Sept. 9, 2016, Valadez pled guilty to distributing methamphetamine and heroin and to violating the terms of his supervised release in a prior conviction. In entering the guilty plea, Valadez admitted that on May 19, 2015, he sold 23.52 grams of methamphetamine and 4.3 grams of heroin to an individual working with the FBI. Under the terms of his plea agreement, Valadez will be sentenced to 69 months in prison followed by a term of supervised release to be determined by the court. A sentencing hearing has yet to be scheduled.
This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the FBI and the New Mexico State Police. The Organized Crimes Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case as part of the New Mexico Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education (HOPE) Initiative. The HOPE Initiative was launched in January 2015 by the UNM Health Sciences Center and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in response to the national opioid epidemic, which has had a disproportionately devastating impact on New Mexico. Opioid addiction has taken a toll on public safety, public health and the economic viability of our communities. Working in partnership with the DEA, the Bernalillo County Opioid Accountability Initiative, Healing Addiction in our Community (HAC), the Albuquerque Public Schools and other community stakeholders, HOPE’s principal goals are to protect our communities from the dangers associated with heroin and opioid painkillers and reducing the number of opioid-related deaths in New Mexico.
The HOPE Initiative is comprised of five components: (1) prevention and education; (2) treatment; (3) law enforcement; (4) reentry; and (5) strategic planning. HOPE’s law enforcement component is led by the Organized Crime Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the DEA in conjunction with their federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement partners. Targeting members of major heroin and opioid trafficking organizations for investigation and prosecution is a priority of the HOPE Initiative. Learn more about the New Mexico HOPE Initiative at http://www.HopeInitiativeNM.org.
Hobbs Woman Sentenced to Ten Years for Federal Methamphetamine Trafficking ConvictionRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Karen Diaz, 42, of Hobbs, N.M., was sentenced today in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M., to 120 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for her methamphetamine trafficking conviction.
Diaz was arrested in Oct. 2015, on a criminal complaint charging her with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. According to the complaint, on Sept. 15, 2015, in Lea County, N.M., law enforcement officers executed search warrants on Diaz’s residence and vehicle, and seized approximately 552 grams of methamphetamine and two firearms.
On Feb. 12, 2016, Diaz pled guilty to a felony information charging her with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. In entering the guilty plea, Diaz admitted that on Sept. 15, 2015, law enforcement agents who were executing a search warrant at her residence, located methamphetamine on her person, in her purse and inside her residence. Diaz further admitted that she planned to distribute the methamphetamine.
This case was investigated by the Lea County Drug Task Force and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Terri J. Abernathy of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office.
The Lea County Drug Task Force is comprised of officers from the Lea County Sheriff’s Office, Hobbs Police Department, Lovington Police Department, Eunice Police Department the Tatum Police Department and the Jal Police Department, and is part of the NM HIDTA Region VI Drug Task Force. The High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program was created by Congress with the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988. HIDTA is a program of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) which provides assistance to federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies operating in areas determined to be critical drug-trafficking regions of the United States and seeks to reduce drug trafficking and production by facilitating coordinated law enforcement activities and information sharing.
Arizona Man Sentenced to Ten Years for Federal Meth Trafficking Conviction in New MexicoRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – James Thomas Vance, 47, of Phoenix, Ariz., was sentenced today in in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to 120 months in prison for his conviction on a methamphetamine trafficking charge. Vance will be on supervised release for five years after he completes his prison sentence
Vance was arrested in Sept. 2015, and charged by criminal complaint with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute after Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents discovered 969.16 grams of methamphetamine in Vance’s vehicle during a routine traffic stop.
Vance was subsequently indicted on Oct. 7, 2015, and charged with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute on Sept. 18, 2015, in Bernalillo County, N.M.
On June 30, 2016, Vance pled guilty to the indictment. In entering the guilty plea, Vance admitted that on Sept. 18, 2015, when he was stopped on Interstate 40 for a traffic violation, he consented to have the officers search his vehicle. The officers subsequently located 10.77 grams of methamphetamine in the driver’s door and approximately 958.39 grams of methamphetamine in the vehicle’s trunk. Vance further admitted that he was driving from Phoenix to Bernalillo, N.M., and planned to deliver the methamphetamine to other individuals.
This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of HSI and the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob Wishard.
Albuquerque Woman Pleads Guilty to Aiding and Abetting the Escape of a Convicted FelonRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Colleen Calamia, 38, of Albuquerque, N.M., pled guilty today in federal court to harboring and concealing a federal fugitive, announced U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez and U.S. Marshal Conrad E. Candelaria.
Calamia was arrested in May 2016, on a criminal complaint charging her with harboring her husband, Mario Montoya, 31, after he absconded from a halfway house in Albuquerque on May 20, 2016. Court records reflect that Montoya, who was under indictment for being a felon in possession of a firearm and theft of mail, was released from federal custody on an order requiring him to reside in an Albuquerque-area halfway house and to comply with other conditions. According to the complaint, Montoya violated the conditions of his release on May 20, 2016, by absconding from the halfway house and violating other release conditions. Montoya fled from the halfway house in a black sport utility vehicle.
On May 20, 2016, the court issued an emergency warrant authorizing Montoya’s arrest for violating his release conditions. According to the criminal complaint, on May 24, 2016, the USMS learned that Montoya was frequenting a residence located at 312 Western Skies (the residence) in Albuquerque. While conducting surveillance near the residence, USMS Deputies and Task Force officers allegedly observed Calamia driving a black Escalade that parked in front of the residence. They then observed Calamia and Montoya exit the vehicle and move objects from the vehicle and into the residence.
According to the complaint, Calamia then left the residence in the black Escalade and USMS Deputies executed a traffic stop on her vehicle. When the Deputies questioned Calamia about Montoya’s whereabouts, she told them that Montoya was alone in the residence.
According to the complaint, when a USMS arrest team attempted to serve the arrest warrant on Montoya, he fired upon the deputies, initiating an exchange of gunfire. After the arrest team was able to retreat to a safe location, a second team later entered the residence. The second team found Montoya in a closet; he had been struck in the exchange of gunfire and was dead.
Calamia was subsequently indicted on June 14, 2016, and charged with aiding and abetting an escape of a convicted felon on May 20, 2016, and concealing a person from arrest on May 24, 2016. According to the indictment, both crimes took place in Bernalillo County, N.M.
During today’s proceedings, Calamia pled guilty to aiding and abetting an escape and admitted that on May 20, 2016, she aided and abetted the escape of Montoya from an Albuquerque-area halfway house.
At sentencing, Calamia faces a statutory maximum penalty of five years in federal prison. A sentencing hearing has yet to be scheduled.
The USMS investigated this case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob A. Wishard is prosecuting it. Mr. Wishard was also prosecuting the case against Montoya, which was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
Prior Sex Offender from Silver City Facing Federal Child Exploitation and Child Pornography ChargesRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – This morning a U.S. Magistrate Judge sitting in Las Cruces, N.M., found probable cause to support a criminal complaint charging Michael Ray Sepulveda, 38, of Silver City, N.M., with child exploitation and child pornography charges. Sepulveda remains in custody pending trial.
Sepulveda was arrested on Oct. 28, 2016, on a criminal complaint alleging that he enticed a child to engage in sexual activity and to produce child pornography, which was transmitted in interstate commerce. According to the criminal complaint, Sepulveda committed these crimes between July 2015 and Nov. 2015. Court filings reflect that law enforcement authorities began investigating Sepulveda for the alleged crimes in the summer of 2016 after learning about the alleged crimes while investigating other conduct.
According to the criminal complaint, Sepulveda allegedly used an online social networking website to engage in sexually explicit communications with a 14-year-old child (victim) between July 2015 and Nov. 2015. In these communications, Sepulveda, who pretended to be a 16-year-old girl, allegedly sent sexually explicit photographs to the victim and persuaded the victim to send him sexually explicit photographs of himself to Sepulveda. Sepulveda also allegedly attempted unsuccessfully to meet with the victim for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity.
If convicted on the charge of enticing a minor to engage in unlawful sexual activity, Sepulveda faces a statutory mandatory minimum of 10 years and a maximum of life in prison. If convicted on the child pornography charge, Sepulveda faces a statutory mandatory minimum of 25 years and a maximum of 50 years in prison. Sepulveda faces this enhanced sentencing exposure because of his prior conviction on a child sex crime, for which he was required to register as a sex offender.
The charges in the complaint are merely accusations and Sepulveda is presumed innocent unless found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case was investigated by the Grant County Sheriff’s Office and the Las Cruces offices of FBI and HSI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dustin Segovia of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office is prosecuting the case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and DOJ’s Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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 http://www.justice.gov/psc/.
The case also was brought as a part of the New Mexico ICAC Task Force’s mission, which is to locate, track, and capture Internet child sexual predators and Internet child pornographers in New Mexico. There are 86 federal, state and local law enforcement agencies associated with the New Mexico ICAC Task Force, which is funded by a grant administered by the New Mexico Office of the Attorney General. Anyone with information relating to suspected child predators and suspected child abuse is encouraged to contact federal or local law enforcement.
Prior Felon from McKinley County Pleads Guilty to Unlawful Possession of FirearmRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Steve Coleman, 56, of Thoreau, N.M., pled guilty today in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to violating the federal firearms laws. Under the terms of his plea agreement, Coleman will be sentenced to 84 months in prison followed by not more than three years of supervised release.
Coleman was arrested on Feb. 4, 2016, on a criminal complaint charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm on Jan. 21, 2016, in McKinley County, N.M.
Coleman was subsequently indicted on Feb. 24, 2016, and charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession of a firearm not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record (NFRTR). Coleman was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because of his previous felony convictions which include, unlawful sale of migratory birds, dangerous use of explosives and bribery/retaliation of a witness.
During today’s proceedings, Coleman pled guilty to being a felon in possession of firearms and admitted that on Jan. 21, 2016, he was in possession of two pistols, which he was not allowed to possess because of his prior felony convictions. Coleman further admitted that he discharged one firearm at his neighbor’s dogs. A sentencing hearing has yet to be scheduled.
This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the New Mexico State Police and the McKinley County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward Han is prosecuting the case.
Navajo Man from Standing Rock, N.M., Sentenced to 21 Years for Federal Sexual Abuse ConvictionRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Julius H. Willie, 31, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation who resides in Standing Rock, N.M., was sentenced this morning in Albuquerque, N.M., to 21 years in prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release for his aggravated sexual abuse conviction. Willie will also be required to register as a sex offender after he completes his prison sentence.
The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez, 11th Judicial District Attorney Division 2 Karl Gillson, Special Agent in Charge Terry Wade of the FBI’s Albuquerque Division, Director Jesse Delmar of the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety, and Chief Robert Cron of the Gallup Police Department.
Willie was charged in April 2014, in a five-count indictment with kidnapping, three counts of aggravated sexual abuse, and abusive sexual contact. According to the indictment, Willie committed the crimes on Aug. 26, 2012, on the Navajo Indian Reservation in McKinley County, N.M. He was transferred to federal custody on April 24, 2014, from state custody where he had been held for two years on related state charges.
On June 9, 2016, Willie pled guilty to Count 2 of the indictment charging him with aggravated sexual abuse. In entering the guilty plea, Willie admitted that on Aug. 26, 2012, he forced the victim to engage in a sexual act.
Willie’s 21-year federal term of imprisonment commenced today without credit for the four years he already has served in state primary custody on pending related state charges. The 11th Judicial District Attorney’s Office will now move forward with prosecuting Willie on his pending state charges.
The Crownpoint office of the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety, the Gallup office of the FBI and the Gallup Police Department investigated this case with assistance from the 11th Judicial District Attorney’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Novaline D. Wilson and Kyle T. Nayback prosecuted the case as part of the Tribal Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (Tribal SAUSA) Pilot Project in the District of New Mexico, which is sponsored by the Justice Department’s Office on Violence against Women under a grant administered by the Pueblo of Laguna. The Tribal SAUSA Pilot Project seeks to train tribal prosecutors in federal law, procedure and investigative techniques to increase the likelihood that every viable violent offense against Native American women is prosecuted in either federal court or tribal court, or both. The Tribal SAUSA Pilot Project was largely driven by input gathered from annual tribal consultations on violence against women, and is another step in the Justice Department's on-going efforts to increase engagement, coordination and action on public safety in tribal communities.
Albuquerque Man Pleads Guilty to Bank Robbery Spree in August 2016Read the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Christopher James Baum, 36, of Albuquerque, N.M., pled guilty today in federal court to six bank robbery charges. Under the terms of his plea agreement, Baum will be sentenced within the range of 20 to 30 years in prison followed by a term of supervised release to be determined by the court.
The guilty plea was announced by U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez, Special Agent in Charge Terry Wade of the FBI’s Albuquerque Division, and Chief Gorden E. Eden, Jr., of the Albuquerque Police Department (APD).
Baum was arrested in Aug. 2016, on a criminal complaint charging him with robbing four banks and attempting to rob a fifth bank in Bernalillo County, N.M., between Aug. 16, 2016 and Aug. 24, 2016. According to the complaint, Baum committed the bank robberies by entering Albuquerque-area banks and demanding money from bank tellers.
During today’s proceedings, Baum pled guilty to a felony information charging him with six counts of bank robbery and attempted bank robbery. In entering the guilty plea, Baum admitted the following criminal conduct:
- Robbing the Bank of the West branch located at 5901 Menaul Blvd. NE on Aug. 16, 2016;
- Robbing the Bank of the West branch located at 2101 Eubank Blvd. NE on Aug. 19, 2016;
- Attempting to rob the Bank of Albuquerque branch located at 4201 Wyoming Blvd. NE on Aug. 23, 2016;
- Robbing the Nusenda Credit Union branch located at 7517 Montgomery Blvd. NE on Aug. 23, 2016;
- Robbing the Wells Fargo Bank branch located at 4700 Tramway Blvd. NE on Aug. 24, 2016; and
- Robbing the Bank of the West branch located at 780 Juan Tabo Blvd. NE on Aug. 30, 2016.
Baum also admitted brandishing a pistol at the bank teller when he committed the Aug. 30, 2016 bank robbery. Baum remains in custody pending a sentencing hearing which has yet to be scheduled.
This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the FBI and the Albuquerque Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Spindle is prosecuting the case.
Baum, whose criminal history includes three prior bank robbery convictions, is being prosecuted under a federal anti-violence initiative that targets “the worst of the worst” offenders for federal prosecution. Under this initiative, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and federal law enforcement agencies work with New Mexico’s District Attorneys and state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to target violent or repeat offenders for federal prosecution primarily based on their prior criminal convictions with the goal of removing repeat offenders from communities in New Mexico for as long as possible. Because New Mexico’s violent crime rate, on a per capita basis, is one of the highest in the nation, New Mexico’s law enforcement community is collaborating to target repeat offenders from counties with the highest violent crime rates, including Bernalillo County, N.M., under this initiative.
Albuquerque Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Child Pornography ChargesRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Paul Keenahan, 45, of Albuquerque, N.M., pled guilty this morning to possession of visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct charges. Under the terms of his plea agreement, Keenahan will be sentenced within the range of 60 to 151 months in prison followed by 15 years of supervised release. Keenahan will also be required to register as a sex offender when he completes his prison sentence.
Keenahan was arrested in Sept. 2015, on a criminal complaint charging him with distributing child pornography in Bernalillo County, N.M. According to the criminal complaint, the investigation into Keenahan began in July 2015, when the New Mexico Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force received a tip about an IP address that was being used to share child pornography. Investigation revealed that the IP address was subscribed to a motel on Candelaria Road NE in Albuquerque, where it was being used by Keenahan, who was then employed by and living at the motel.
According to the criminal complaint, law enforcement officers executed a state search warrant at Keenahan’s home on July 23, 2015, and seized a laptop computer containing files consistent with child pornography. Keenahan was arrested on state charges that day. A forensic examination of Keenahan’s laptop computer revealed that it contained more than 10,000 files of child pornography.
Keenahan was subsequently indicted on Oct. 7, 2015, and charged with three counts of distribution of child pornography and three counts of possession of child pornography.
During today’s proceedings, Keenahan pled guilty to three counts of possession of child pornography. In entering the guilty plea, Keenahan admitted that from Feb. 14, 2012 through July 23, 2015, he possessed electronic devices containing visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Keenahan further admitted the following:
- From Nov. 2014 through July 2015, he possessed a computer containing approximately 1,010 video files and 8,949 images of child pornography;
- From Aug. 2014 through July 2015, he possessed an external hard drive that contained approximately 58 video files and 1,530 images of child pornography; and
- From Feb. 2012 through July 2015, he possessed six DVDs containing approximately 170 videos and images of child pornography.
Keenahan remains in custody pending a sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled.
This case was investigated by the New Mexico ICAC Task Force, Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office, Albuquerque office of the FBI, Office of the New Mexico Attorney General, the U.S. Marshals Service and the New Mexico Regional Computer Forensic Laboratory with assistance from the 2nd Judicial District Attorney’s Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Mease is prosecuting the case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and DOJ’s Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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 http://www.justice.gov/psc/.
The case also was brought as a part of the New Mexico ICAC Task Force’s mission, which is to locate, track, and capture Internet child sexual predators and Internet child pornographers in New Mexico. There are 86 federal, state and local law enforcement agencies associated with the New Mexico ICAC Task Force, which is funded by a grant administered by the New Mexico Office of the Attorney General. Anyone with information relating to suspected child predators and suspected child abuse is encouraged to contact federal or local law enforcement.
Alamogordo Woman Sentenced to 12 Years for Federal Methamphetamine Trafficking ConvictionRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Robin Lee Lovelace, 56, of Alamogordo, N.M., was sentenced today in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M., to 12 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release for her conviction on methamphetamine trafficking crime charges.
Lovelace was one of 34 individuals charged in December 2015 with federal and tribal drug offenses as the result of an 18-month multi-agency investigation led by the DEA and BIA into methamphetamine trafficking on the Mescalero Apache Reservation. Eighteen defendants, including five members of the Mescalero Apache Tribe and 13 non-Natives were charged in six federal indictments and a federal criminal complaint. Sixteen other members of the Mescalero Apache Tribe were charged in tribal criminal complaints approved by the Mescalero Apache Tribal Court.
The investigation leading to the federal and tribal charges was initiated in May 2014, in response to an increase in violent crime on the Mescalero Apache Reservation perpetrated by methamphetamine users. The investigation initially targeted a drug trafficking organization that was allegedly distributing methamphetamine within the Reservation, and later expanded to include two other drug trafficking organizations in southeastern New Mexico that allegedly served as sources of supply for the methamphetamine distributed within the Reservation. In Aug. 2014, the investigation was designated as part of the Justice Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program, which combines the resources and unique expertise of federal agencies, along with their local counterparts, in a coordinated effort to disrupt and dismantle major drug trafficking organizations. The investigation is one of the first OCDETF investigations to utilize electronic surveillance (wiretaps) in Indian Country. More than ten kilograms of methamphetamine were seized during the course of the investigation.
Lovelace was arrested on Nov. 20, 2015, on an indictment charging her and seven other non-Natives with methamphetamine trafficking and money laundering offenses. The indictment charged Lovelace with participation in a methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy, distribution of methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, and use of a communication device to facilitate a drug trafficking crime.
On March 9, 2016, Lovelace pled guilty to participating in the methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy, distribution of methamphetamine and possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and admitted that between April 9, 2015 and Oct. 16, 2015, she and a co-defendant conspired to sell methamphetamine to another individual who unbeknownst to them was an undercover law enforcement agent. During that same time period, she also sold methamphetamine to other individuals who then distributed methamphetamine to their customers.
Lovelace also admitted selling the following quantities of methamphetamine to an undercover agent as follows:
- 27.4 grams on April 9, 2015, in Bent, N.M.
- 56 grams on April 17, 2015, in Mescalero
- 84 grams on May 8, 2015, in Mescalero
- 112 grams on May 15, 2015, in Mescalero
- 112 grams on June 8, 2015, in Mescalero
- 140 grams on July 1, 2015, in Mescalero
- 580 grams on July 24, 2015, in Socorro,
- 140 grams on Aug. 6, 2015, in Mescalero,
- 140 grams on Sept. 3, 2015, in Tularosa, N.M.
- 212 grams on Oct. 9, 2015, in Alamogordo, N.M.
Lovelace also admitted that on Oct. 15, 2015, she facilitated the sale of 364.2 grams of methamphetamine to an undercover law enforcement agent.
Thirteen of the 18 federal defendants have entered guilty pleas. The remaining five federal defendants have entered not guilty pleas to the charges against them. Charges in indictments are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent unless found guilty in a court of law.
The federal and tribal cases were investigated by the Las Cruces office of the DEA, District IV of the BIA’s Office of Justice Services (Mescalero Agency), BIA’s Division of Drug Enforcement, Mescalero Tribal Police Department, Hatch Police Department, FBI and Lea County Drug Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Terri J. Abernathy and Clara Cobos of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office are prosecuting the federal cases, and Mescalero Tribal Prosecutor Melissa Chavez is prosecuting the tribal cases.
Zuni Pueblo Man Sentenced to Eight Years for Federal Child Sexual Abuse ConvictionRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Joshua Lasiloo, 32, a member and resident of Zuni Pueblo, N.M., was sentenced today in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to eight years in prison followed by five years of supervised release for his conviction on a child sexual abuse charge. Lasiloo will be required to register as a sex offender when he completes his prison sentence.
Lasiloo was arrested on Oct. 23, 2015, on a three-count indictment charging him with sexually abusing a child under the age of 12 years from March 2013 through Sept. 2013, in Indian Country in McKinley County, N.M.
On May 12, 2016, Lasiloo pled guilty to a felony information charging him with abusive sexual contact of a minor. In entering the guilty plea, Lasiloo admitted that from March 20, 2013 through Sept. 21, 2013, he sexually abused the victim who was under the age of 12 years.
This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the FBI and the Zuni Pueblo Tribal Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Raquel Ruiz-Velez prosecuted the case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and DOJ’s Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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 http://www.justice.gov/psc/.
U.S. Citizen Residing in Mexico Sentenced to Prison for Violating Federal Drug Trafficking LawsRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Leon Homero Hernandez, 42, a U.S. citizen residing in Mexico, was sentenced today in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M., to 84 months in prison followed by four years of supervised release for his conviction on methamphetamine and cocaine trafficking charges.
Hernandez was arrested on Oct. 28, 2015, on a four-count indictment charging him with distributing cocaine on Aug. 17, 2015 and Sept. 2, 2015, and distributing methamphetamine on Sept. 2, 2015 and Sept. 23, 2015. According to the indictment, Hernandez committed the crimes in Dona Ana County, N.M. The indictment included forfeiture provisions requiring Hernandez to forfeit $3,900 to the United States.
On March 10, 2016, Hernandez pled guilty to a felony information charging him with two counts of distributing cocaine and two counts of distributing methamphetamine. In entering the guilty plea, Hernandez admitted distributing quantities of narcotics to an undercover law enforcement agent on the following dates: 24.1 grams of cocaine on Aug. 17, 2015; 23.8 grams of cocaine and 27.3 grams of pure methamphetamine on Sept. 2, 2015; and 56.6 grams of pure methamphetamine on Sept. 23, 2015.
This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of the DEA and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Terri J. Abernathy of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces branch office.
Navajo Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Assault ConvictionRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Gregory Secatero, 33, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation who resides in Albuquerque, N.M., was sentenced this morning in federal court to 41 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for his conviction on federal assault charges.
Secatero was arrested on Feb. 12, 2015, on a criminal complaint charging him with assault resulting in serious bodily injury and child abuse in Indian Country. Court documents indicate that on Jan. 17, 2015, Secatero was involved in a car crash that seriously injured two passengers, a woman and a child, who were in Secatero’s vehicle. Both victims were ejected from the vehicle; the woman suffered a punctured left lung and seven left rib fractures and the child suffered a small subdural hematoma and left femur spiral fracture. Two other children who were in the vehicle were not seriously injured. Secatero was intoxicated at the time of the crash.
Secatero was indicted on March 10, 2015, and charged with two counts of assault resulting in serious bodily injury and one count of child abuse for endangering the lives of three children. According to the indictment, Secatero committed the crimes on the Navajo Indian Reservation in Bernalillo County, N.M.
On Jan. 21, 2016, Secatero pled guilty to two counts of assault resulting in serious bodily injury. In entering his guilty plea, Secatero admitted assaulting the victims, causing them to sustain serious bodily injuries, while driving under the influence of alcohol.
This case was investigated by the Crownpoint office of the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shammara Henderson.
Mexican National Sentenced to Six Years for Federal Methamphetamine Trafficking ConvictionRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Juan Carlos Nieblas-Ruelas, 28, a Mexican national illegally residing in the United States, was sentenced today in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to 72 months in prison for his methamphetamine trafficking conviction. Nieblas-Ruelas will be deported after he completes his prison sentence.
Nieblas-Ruelas and co-defendant Massiel Segoviano-Fierro, 25, also a Mexican national illegally residing in the United States, were arrested in Nov. 2015, and were charged by criminal complaint with conspiracy and possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute on Nov. 23, 2015, in Bernalillo Country N.M. The two men were arrested after the two men attempted to sell approximately ten pounds of methamphetamine to an undercover law enforcement agent.
On Jan. 22, 2016, Nieblas-Ruelas pled guilty to a felony information charging him with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. In entering the guilty plea, Nieblas-Ruelas admitted that on Nov. 23, 2015, he provided methamphetamine to Segoviano-Fierro knowing that Segoviano-Fierro intended to sell it to another person.
On Feb. 22, 2016, Segoviano-Fierro pled guilty to a similar felony information and admitted that on Nov. 23, 2015, in Bernalillo County, he attempted to sell methamphetamine to an individual who unbeknownst to him was an undercover law enforcement agent. Segoviano-Fierro further admitted that he collaborated with Nieblas-Ruelas to obtain approximately ten pounds of methamphetamine to sell and distribute in Albuquerque.
At sentencing, Segoviano-Fierro faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and will be deported following his term of incarceration. Segoviano-Fierro remains in custody pending a sentencing hearing.
This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of Homeland Security Investigations and the New Mexico State Police and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David M. Walsh.
Laguna Pueblo Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Sexual Abuse ConvictionRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Benjamin Shiosee, 38, a member and resident of Laguna Pueblo, N.M., was sentenced this morning in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to 36 months in prison followed by 25 years of supervised release. Shiosee will also be required to register as a sex offender after he completes his prison sentence.
Shiosee, a former certified nursing assistant, was arrested on March 1, 2016, on a criminal complaint alleging that he sexually abused a patient on Sept. 4, 2015, on the Laguna Pueblo in Cibola County, N.M.
On April 21, 2016, Shiosee pled guilty to an information charging him with abusive sexual contact. In entering the guilty plea, Shiosee admitted that on Sept. 4, 2015, he sexually abused the victim within the Laguna Pueblo.
This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the FBI and the Laguna Pueblo Tribal Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Spindle prosecuted the case.
Georgia Man Facing Federal Drug Trafficking Charge in New Mexico Following Seizure of Ten Pounds of MethRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – This morning a U.S. Magistrate Judge sitting in Las Cruces, N.M., found probable cause to support a criminal complaint charging Timothy Wayne McGahee, 21, of Flowery Branch, Ga., with a methamphetamine trafficking offense. McGahee was released pending trial under pretrial supervision and other conditions of release.
McGahee was arrested on Oct. 23, 2016, on a criminal complaint alleging that he possessed approximately ten pounds of methamphetamine in Dona Ana County, N.M. According to the complaint, McGahee was arrested on Oct. 23, 2016, after U.S. Border Patrol agents at the U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint west of Alamogordo, N.M., allegedly seized the methamphetamine from McGahee’s vehicle.
If convicted of the charge in the criminal complaint, McGahee faces a statutory minimum of ten years and a maximum of life in prison. Charges in criminal complaints are merely accusations and criminal defendants are presumed innocent unless found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Border Patrol and the Las Cruces office of the DEA. Assistant U.S. Attorney Clara Nevarez Cobos of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office is prosecuting the case.
Farmington Man Receives Enhanced Sentence of 90 Months for Federal Heroin Trafficking ConvictionRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Allen Goossen, 30, of Farmington, N.M., was sentenced today in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to 90 months in prison for his conviction on heroin trafficking charges. Goossen will be on supervised release for three years following his prison sentence.
Goossen, whose crimes of conviction in this case involved only 12 grams of heroin, received an enhanced sentence based on judicial findings that a significant sentence was required to protect the public from Goossen and to promote deterrence. During sentencing proceedings, the court found clear and convincing evidence that Goossen caused the death of a 26-old-man by injecting him with heroin in Nov. 2013, that the victim’s death was a reasonably foreseeable effect of Goossen’s actions, and that Goossen continued to distribute heroin thereafter. Goossen has entered a not guilty plea to related state charges arising out of this event, and he is presumed innocent of those charges unless found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Goossen was arrested in Feb. 2016, on a criminal complaint charging him with trafficking heroin in San Juan County, N.M. According to the complaint, Goossen sold approximately 6.03 grams of heroin to an undercover agent of the HIDTA Region II Narcotics Taskforce on Dec. 17, 2014. The complaint further alleges that on Jan. 5, 2015, Goossen was in possession of 5.95 grams of heroin packaged in six-single gram packages when he was arrested on a felony arrest warrant.
Goossen was subsequently indicted on March 8, 2016, and charged with distribution of heroin on Dec. 17, 2014, and possession of heroin with intent to distribute on Jan. 5, 2015. On April 15, 2016, Goossen pled guilty to both counts of the indictment without the benefit of a plea agreement.
The case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of Homeland Security Investigations and the HIDTA Region II Task Force. The HIDTA Region II Narcotics Task Force is comprised of officers and investigators from the Farmington Police Department, San Juan County Sheriff’s Office, Bloomfield Police Department and Aztec Police Department, and is part of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program that was created by Congress with the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988. HIDTA is a program of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) which provides assistance to federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies operating in areas determined to be critical drug-trafficking regions of the United States and seeks to reduce drug trafficking and production by facilitating coordinated law enforcement activities and information sharing.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander M. Uballez as part of the New Mexico Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education (HOPE) Initiative. The HOPE Initiative was launched in January 2015 by the UNM Health Sciences Center and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in response to the national opioid epidemic, which has had a disproportionately devastating impact on New Mexico. Opioid addiction has taken a toll on public safety, public health and the economic viability of our communities. Working in partnership with the DEA, the Bernalillo County Opioid Accountability Initiative, Healing Addiction in our Community (HAC), the Albuquerque Public Schools and other community stakeholders, HOPE’s principal goals are to protect our communities from the dangers associated with heroin and opioid painkillers and reducing the number of opioid-related deaths in New Mexico.
The HOPE Initiative is comprised of five components: (1) prevention and education; (2) treatment; (3) law enforcement; (4) reentry; and (5) strategic planning. HOPE’s law enforcement component is led by the Organized Crime Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the DEA in conjunction with their federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement partners. Targeting members of major heroin and opioid trafficking organizations for investigation and prosecution is a priority of the HOPE Initiative. Learn more about the New Mexico HOPE Initiative at http://www.HopeInitiativeNM.org.
Arizona Man Sentenced for Heroin Trafficking Conviction Arising Out of Four-Pound Heroin Seizure in New MexicoRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE –Sergio Marin Ambriz, 21, of Phoenix, Ariz., was sentenced today in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to 46 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for his conviction on a heroin trafficking charge arising out of a DEA seizure of more than four pounds of heroin in Jan. 2016.
Ambriz was arrested on Jan. 20, 2016, and was charged in a criminal complaint with a heroin trafficking offense after the DEA seized approximately 1.90 kilograms (4.18 pounds) of heroin from him during an interdiction investigation at the Greyhound Bus Station in Albuquerque. The heroin was contained in three bundles that were concealed inside a pair of jeans in Ambriz’s luggage.
Ambriz was subsequently indicted on Feb. 9, 2016, and charged with possession of heroin with intent to distribute on Jan. 20, 2016, in Bernalillo County, N.M.
On May 13, 2016, Ambriz pled guilty to a felony information charging him with possession of heroin with intent to distribute. In entering the guilty plea, Ambriz admitted transporting heroin from Phoenix, Ariz., to New Mexico on a Greyhound bus by concealing the heroin in his luggage. Ambriz further admitted that he had intended to deliver the heroin to Tulsa, Okla.
This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the DEA. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul H. Spiers prosecuted this case as part of the New Mexico Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education (HOPE) Initiative. The HOPE Initiative was launched in January 2015 by the UNM Health Sciences Center and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in response to the national opioid epidemic, which has had a disproportionately devastating impact on New Mexico. Opioid addiction has taken a toll on public safety, public health and the economic viability of our communities. Working in partnership with the DEA, the Bernalillo County Opioid Accountability Initiative, Healing Addiction in our Community (HAC), the Albuquerque Public Schools and other community stakeholders, HOPE’s principal goals are to protect our communities from the dangers associated with heroin and opioid painkillers and reducing the number of opioid-related deaths in New Mexico.
The HOPE Initiative is comprised of five components: (1) prevention and education; (2) treatment; (3) law enforcement; (4) reentry; and (5) strategic planning. HOPE’s law enforcement component is led by the Organized Crime Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the DEA in conjunction with their federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement partners. Targeting members of major heroin and opioid trafficking organizations for investigation and prosecution is a priority of the HOPE Initiative. Learn more about the New Mexico HOPE Initiative at http://www.HopeInitiativeNM.org.
Federal Judge Finds Davon Lymon Guilty of Unlawfully Possessing a Firearm on Oct. 21, 2015Read the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – This morning Chief U.S. District Judge M. Christina Armijo returned a guilty verdict against Davon Lymon, 35, of Albuquerque, N.M., on a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition charge based on evidence presented during a two-day bench trial on Oct. 24 and 25, 2016. More specifically, the Chief Judge found Lymon guilty on Count 4 of a four-count indictment, which charged Lymon with unlawfully possessing a firearm and ammunition on Oct. 21, 2015, the day on which Lymon allegedly shot Officer Daniel Webster of the Albuquerque Police Department (APD). Officer Webster died on Oct. 29, 2015, as a result of injuries he sustained during the shooting.
In announcing the guilty verdict against Lymon, U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez said, “The U.S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting Davon Lymon because as a community, we cannot and will not tolerate violence against law enforcement officers. Those who seek to harm the courageous men and women who put their lives on the line to safeguard us and protect our communities are, by definition, the ‘worst of the worst’ offenders. The entire law enforcement community – federal, state, county, local and tribal – is committed to working collaboratively to thoroughly and completely investigate and prosecute individuals like Lymon to the fullest extent of the law.”
“Officer Daniel Webster embodies every sense of the word ‘hero.’ He served his nation as a soldier, his community as a dedicated officer, and his family as a loving husband and devoted father,” said Special Agent in Charge Thomas G. Atteberry of the Phoenix Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). “I hope that today’s guilty verdict provides a measure of comfort to his family and resonates as a beacon to the community he served.”
“On behalf of the Albuquerque Police Department and together with the greater Albuquerque Community, we thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the prosecutors for their exceptional work in this case,” said APD Chief Gorden E. Eden, Jr. “Officer Dan Webster was our hero, a true public servant with compassion for our community. Today’s verdict is significant as it takes us one step closer to justice for Officer Webster, Michelle and the family.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting Lymon, a prior felon with convictions for voluntary manslaughter, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon resulting in great bodily harm, fraud, and forgery, in two federal cases.
In this case (the firearms case), Lymon was charged in a four-count indictment with three counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of unlawfully possessing a stolen firearm in Bernalillo County. Counts 1 and 2 charge Lymon with unlawfully possessing a firearm on May 27, 2015, and Count 3 charges Lymon with unlawfully possessing a stolen firearm in late May 2015. Count 4 – the charge on which Lymon was found guilty today – charged Lymon with unlawfully possessing a firearm and ammunition on Oct. 21, 2015.
Lymon entered a not guilty plea to the charges in the firearms case, and the Court severed Counts 1, 2 and 3 from Count 4 for the purposes of trial. A trial date on Counts 1 through 3 has yet to be scheduled. The public is reminded that charges in indictments are merely accusations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless found guilty in a court of law. The statutory maximum penalty for a conviction on each of the four counts in the firearms case is ten years in federal prison.
In the other federal case (the heroin trafficking case), Lymon was charged with distributing heroin on Sept. 11, 2015 and Oct. 2, 2015, and unlawfully possessing a firearm on Oct. 2, 2015, in Bernalillo County, N.M. Lymon pled guilty to the three charges in the heroin trafficking case on May 9, 2016. The guilty plea was entered without the benefit of a plea agreement. At his sentencing hearing, which has not been scheduled, Lymon faces a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on the two heroin trafficking charges and ten years on the firearms charge.
The Albuquerque office of ATF and APD investigated the firearms case, with assistance from the Albuquerque office of the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, the New Mexico State Police, the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office, the Rio Rancho Police Department and the New Mexico Transportation Police Division. The heroin trafficking case was investigated by the Albuquerque offices of ATF and DEA.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jacob A. Wishard and Kimberly A. Brawley are prosecuting the two federal cases against Lymon as part of a federal anti-violence initiative that targets “the worst of the worst” offenders for federal prosecution. Under this initiative, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and federal law enforcement agencies work with New Mexico’s District Attorneys and state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to target violent or repeat offenders primarily based on their prior criminal convictions for federal prosecution with the goal of removing repeat offenders from communities in New Mexico for as long as possible. Because New Mexico’s violent crime rate, on a per capita basis, is one of the highest in the nation, New Mexico’s law enforcement community is collaborating to target repeat offenders from counties with the highest violent crime rates, including Bernalillo County, N.M., under this initiative.
Lymon VerdictZuni Pueblo Man Pleads Guilty to Domestic Assault by a Habitual Offender ChargeRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Vander Tsethlikai, 53, a member and resident of Zuni Pueblo, N.M., pleaded guilty this morning in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to a domestic assault by a habitual offender charge. Under the terms of his plea agreement, Tsethlikai will be sentenced to 18 months in federal prison followed by a term of supervised release to be determined by the court.
Tsethlikai was arrested on Jan. 6, 2016, on an indictment charging him with assault of an intimate partner by a habitual offender. According to the indictment, Tsethlikai committed the offense on July 13, 2015, on Zuni Pueblo in McKinley County, N.M. Tsethlikai was charged as a habitual offender based on his two prior domestic violence convictions in Zuni Pueblo Tribal Court. Zuni Pueblo Tribal Court records reflect that Tsethlikai’s prior convictions occurred in 2010 and 2014.
During today’s proceedings, Tsethlikai pled guilty to the indictment and admitted that on July 13, 2015, he assaulted the victim, his intimate partner, causing her to suffer lacerations above the right eye and on the right ear. He also acknowledged his two prior tribal court convictions. Tsethlikai was remanded into custody pending a sentencing hearing which has yet to be scheduled.
This case was investigated by the Zuni Pueblo Tribal Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elaine Y. Ramirez pursuant to the Tribal Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (Tribal SAUSA) Pilot Project in the District of New Mexico, which is sponsored by the Justice Department’s Office on Violence Against Women under a grant administered by the Pueblo of Laguna. The Tribal SAUSA Pilot Project seeks to train tribal prosecutors in federal law, procedure and investigative techniques to increase the likelihood that every viable violent offense against Native women is prosecuted in either federal court or tribal court, or both. The Tribal SAUSA Pilot Project was largely driven by input gathered from annual tribal consultations on violence against women, and is another step in the Justice Department's on-going efforts to increase engagement, coordination and action on public safety in tribal communities.
Missouri Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug Trafficking Charge in New MexicoRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Stephen Eugene Raeuber, 37, of Park Hills, Mo., pled guilty today in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M., to a methamphetamine trafficking charge under a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Raeuber was arrested in Aug. 2016, on a criminal complaint alleging that he possessed more than a pound and a half of methamphetamine in Otero County, N.M. According to the complaint, Raeuber was arrested after U.S. Border Patrol agents at the U.S. Border Patrol station near Alamogordo, N.M., seized crystal methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia from the vehicle Raeuber was driving.
During today’s proceedings, Raeuber pled guilty to a felony information charging him with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. In entering the guilty plea, Raeuber admitted that on Aug. 21, 2016, he entered the U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint on Highway 54 in a vehicle containing a safe box with methamphetamine, which was found by Border Patrol agents during a routine inspection. Raeuber admitted knowing that the methamphetamine was in the vehicle and that he intended to deliver the methamphetamine to other individuals in exchange for money.
At sentencing, Raeuber faces a statutory minimum penalty of ten years and a maximum of life in federal prison. He remains in custody pending a sentencing hearing which has yet to be scheduled.
This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of the DEA and the U.S. Border Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Clara Nevarez Cobos is prosecuting the case.
U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez Designates District Election Officer for November 2016 ElectionsRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez announced today that Assistant U.S. States Attorney (AUSA) Jeremy Peña will lead the efforts of his Office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 8, 2016, general elections. AUSA Peña has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the District of New Mexico and in that capacity is responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of complaints of election fraud and voting rights abuses in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.
U.S. Attorney Martinez said, “Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted without it being stolen because of fraud. The Department of Justice will act promptly and aggressively to protect the integrity of the election process.”
The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring election fraud and discrimination at the polls, and combating these violations whenever and wherever they occur. The Department’s long-standing Election Day Program furthers these goals, and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the integrity of the election process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible election fraud and voting rights violations while the polls are open on election day.
Federal law protects against such crimes as intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters and provides that they can vote free from acts that intimidate or harass them. For example, actions of persons designed to interrupt or intimidate voters at polling places by questioning or challenging them, or by photographing or videotaping them, under the pretext that these are actions to uncover illegal voting may violate federal voting rights law. Further, federal law protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice.
The franchise is the cornerstone of American democracy. We all must ensure that those who are entitled to the franchise exercise it if they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice. In order to respond to complaints of election fraud or voting rights abuses on November 8, 2016, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, U.S. Attorney Martinez stated that AUSA/DEO Peña will be on duty in this District while the polls are open. He can be reached by the public at the following telephone numbers: 505-224-1451 (office) and 505-269-2038 (cellphone).
In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day. The local FBI field office can be reached by the public at 505-889-1300.
Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section in Washington, DC by phone at 1-800-253-3931 or (202) 307-2767, by fax at (202) 307-3961, by email to [email protected] or by complaint form at http://www.justice.gov/crt/complaint/votintake/index.php.
U.S. Attorney Martinez said, “Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the cooperation of the American electorate. It is imperative that those who have specific information about discrimination or election fraud make that information available immediately to my Office, the FBI, or the Civil Rights Division.”
Navajo Woman from Standing Rock, N.M., Sentenced to Prison for Federal Assault ConvictionRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Chelsey A. Billy, 22, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation who resides in Standing Rock, N.M., was sentenced today in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to 30 months in prison for her conviction on an assault charge. Billy will be on supervised release for three years after completing her prison sentence.
Billy was arrested on Jan. 7, 2016, on a criminal complaint charging her with assaulting a Navajo man with a hammer on Dec. 22, 2015. The victim was seriously injured, suffering a fracture to his left orbital eye socket and various lacerations to his head and face.
Billy was indicted on Jan. 26, 2016, and was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon, a hammer, with intent to do bodily harm and assault resulting in serious bodily injury. The indictment alleged that Billy committed the crimes on the Navajo Indian Reservation in McKinley County, N.M., on Dec. 22, 2015.
On July 18, 2016, Billy pled guilty to an assault resulting in serious bodily injury charge. In entering the guilty plea, Billy admitted striking the victim in the head with a hammer several times, causing serious bodily injury to the victim.
This case was investigated by the Crownpoint office of the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Spindle.
Roswell Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Conspiracy and Drug Trafficking ChargesRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – James H. Lewis, 51, of Roswell, N.M., pled guilty today in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M., to methamphetamine trafficking charges.
Lewis is one of 41 individuals charged in Sept. 2015, with drug trafficking offenses as a result of an eight-month multi-agency investigation by the FBI, the DEA, Chaves County Metro Narcotics Task Force, Roswell Police Department, Chaves County Sheriff’s Office and New Mexico State Police. Twenty-one of the defendants were charged with federal offenses and the remaining 20 were charged with state offenses. Lewis is the final of the 21 federal defendants to enter a guilty plea to federal charges.
The investigation, which was designated as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) program, initially targeted a drug trafficking organization (DTO) led by Joseph Ray Mendiola,35, that distributed methamphetamine in Chaves County. It later expanded to include drug traffickers who supplied methamphetamine to the Mendiola DTO and other drug traffickers operating in Chaves County. The OCDETF program combines the resources and unique expertise of federal agencies, along with their local counterparts, in a coordinated effort to disrupt and dismantle major drug trafficking organizations.
Lewis, Mendiola and 14 other federal defendants were charged in a 24-count indictment filed on Sept. 22, 2015. Count 1 of the Indictment charged 15 of the 16 defendants with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine between June 2015 and July 2015. Count 2 charged three defendants with conspiracy to distribute cocaine in July 2015. Counts 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 charged certain defendants with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute in July 2015. Counts 8 through 24 charged certain defendants with using communications devices (telephones) to facilitate drug trafficking crimes. All crimes charged in the federal indictment occurred in Chaves County.
During the course of the investigation, law enforcement officers executed 14 federal search warrants for 10 residences in Roswell, one residence in Dexter, N.M., and three vehicles. During the execution of those search warrants, the officers seized approximately 5600 grams of methamphetamine, $35,960.00 in cash, and multiple firearms including two assault rifles.
During today’s proceedings, Lewis pled guilty to conspiracy and possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. In entering the guilty plea, Lewis admitted conspiring to distribute methamphetamine in Chaves County from June 2015 through July 31, 2015. Lewis also admitted that on July 31, 2015, he received a bag containing approximately seven pounds of methamphetamine from his co-defendants.
At sentencing, Lewis faces a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. A sentencing hearing has yet to be scheduled.
All of Lewis’ co-defendants have entered guilty pleas and are awaiting sentencing hearings which have yet to be scheduled.
The federal cases were investigated by the Roswell office of FBI’s Albuquerque Division, the Las Cruces office of DEA, Roswell Police Department, Chaves County Sheriff’s Office, the Chaves County Metro Narcotics Task Force, the New Mexico State Police and the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Randy M. Castellano and John Balla are prosecuting the federal cases.
The HIDTA Chaves County Metro Narcotics Task Force is comprised of investigators from the Roswell Police Department, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the FBI and the Chaves County Sherriff’s Office. The High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program was created by Congress with the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988. HIDTA is a program of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) which provides assistance to federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies operating in areas determined to be critical drug-trafficking regions of the United States and seeks to reduce drug trafficking and production by facilitating coordinated law enforcement activities and information sharing.
Albuquerque Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Heroin Trafficking ChargesRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Reydecel Lopez-Ordonez, 23, of Albuquerque, N.M., pled guilty yesterday in federal court to heroin trafficking charges.
Lopez-Ordonez and his co-defendants Gonzalo Montenegro-Coronel, 31, a Mexican national, Esther Ordonez, 48, and Miguel Ordonez, 23, both of Albuquerque, and Fernando Gomez-Campos, 21, of El Paso, Texas, were charged in a 13-count indictment that was filed on Dec. 2, 2015. The indictment charged the five defendants with participating in a heroin trafficking conspiracy between Nov. 2014 and Sept. 2015. The indictment also included charged certain defendants with distributing heroin on eight occasions between Nov. 2014 and Sept. 2015, and with using telephones to facilitate drug trafficking crimes. Additionally, it charged Esther Ordonez, Miguel Ordonez and Montenegro-Coronel with maintaining a residence for the purpose of manufacturing and distributing heroin between Nov. 2014 and Sept. 2015. According to the indictment, the defendants committed the crimes in Bernalillo County, N.M.
The indictment included forfeiture provisions requiring the defendants to forfeit $53,760 and a residence located in southwest Albuquerque to the United States.
During today’s proceedings, Lopez-Ordonez pled guilty to one count of distributing heroin and two counts of using a communication device to further the commission of a drug trafficking crime. In entering the guilty plea, Lopez-Ordonez admitted that on March 19, 2015 and June 10, 2015, he used a telephone to arrange heroin sales. Lopez-Ordonez further admitted that on July 9 and 10, 2015, he sold 568 grams of heroin to an undercover law enforcement agent in exchange for $26,000.
At sentencing, Lopez-Ordonez faces a statutory minimum penalty of five years and a maximum of 40 years in prison. He remains in custody pending a sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled. Under the terms of his plea agreement, Lopez-Ordonez will forfeit more than $10,000 in drug proceeds to the United States. He also agrees to forfeit any right, title or interest he may have in a residence in southwest Albuquerque.
Lopez-Ordonez’s co-defendants have entered not guilty pleas to the indictment and are pending trial. Charges in indictments are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent unless found guilty in a court of law.
This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the DEA and the HIDTA Region I Drug Task Force as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) program, which combines the resources and unique expertise of federal agencies, along with their local counterparts, in a coordinated effort to disrupt and dismantle major drug trafficking organizations. The HIDTA Region I Drug Task Force is comprised of officers from the Albuquerque Police Department, Rio Rancho Police Department, Valencia County Sheriff’s Office, Pueblo of Pojoaque Tribal Police Department and DEA. The High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program was created by Congress with the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988. HIDTA is a program of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) which provides assistance to federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies operating in areas determined to be critical drug-trafficking regions of the United States and seeks to reduce drug trafficking and production by facilitating coordinated law enforcement activities and information sharing.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Shaheen P. Torgoley and Stephen R. Kotz are prosecuting this case as part of the New Mexico Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education (HOPE) Initiative. The HOPE Initiative was launched in January 2015 by the UNM Health Sciences Center and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in response to the national opioid epidemic, which has had a disproportionately devastating impact on New Mexico. Opioid addiction has taken a toll on public safety, public health and the economic viability of our communities. Working in partnership with the DEA, the Bernalillo County Opioid Accountability Initiative, Healing Addiction in our Community (HAC), the Albuquerque Public Schools and other community stakeholders, HOPE’s principal goals are to protect our communities from the dangers associated with heroin and opioid painkillers and reducing the number of opioid-related deaths in New Mexico.
The HOPE Initiative is comprised of five components: (1) prevention and education; (2) treatment; (3) law enforcement; (4) reentry; and (5) strategic planning. HOPE’s law enforcement component is led by the Organized Crime Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the DEA in conjunction with their federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement partners. Targeting members of major heroin and opioid trafficking organizations for investigation and prosecution is a priority of the HOPE Initiative. Learn more about the New Mexico HOPE Initiative at http://www.HopeInitiativeNM.org.
Albuquerque Couple Sentenced on Wire Fraud Convictions Arising Out of Scheme to Defraud Office Supply BusinessRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Matthew Channon, 39, and his wife Brandi Channon, 37, both of Albuquerque, N.M., were sentenced today for their convictions on conspiracy and wire fraud charges arising out of a sophisticated scheme to defraud an office supply business out of more than $100,000. Matthew Channon was sentenced to a year and a day of imprisonment to be followed by two years of supervised release. Brandi Channon was sentenced to three years of probation, including six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service. The Channons also were ordered jointly to forfeit $105,191 to the United States, and to pay $96,000 in restitution to Office Max/Office Depot, the business that was the victim of the Channons’ criminal conduct.
The Channons were charged with conspiracy and wire fraud charges in a seven-count indictment filed in March 2013. In addition to the conspiracy charge, the indictment charged Matthew Channon with four counts of wire fraud and Brandi Channon with two counts of wire fraud. According to the indictment, the Channons perpetuated a scheme to defraud OfficeMax by using interstate wire communications to create numerous MaxPerk Rewards accounts in fictitious names to avoid OfficeMax’s policy of issuing only one account per person. The couple then used the accounts to fraudulently claim rewards from OfficeMax to which they were not entitled. The indictment alleged that the scheme continued from Aug. 2009 through June 2011, during which time the Channons fraudulently obtained MaxPerk Rewards certificates valued at more than $105,000.00.
The Channons were convicted on all seven counts in the indictment on Jan. 22, 2016, after a seven-day jury trial. The evidence at trial established that the Channons conspired to defraud OfficeMax by fraudulently creating more than 5000 MaxPerk Rewards accounts in the names of fictitious people. The couple went online and used the fraudulent accounts to falsely claim rewards-program credit for purchases that other customers had in fact made. The Channons falsely claimed that they engaged in more than 60,000 transactions with OfficeMax involving almost $2,000,000.00 worth of purchases, in over 300 stores located in over 20 states. As a result of their fraudulent conduct, the Channons defrauded OfficeMax of more than $100,000 worth of property.
The case was investigated by the Albuquerque Division of the FBI and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Margaret M. Vierbuchen, Holland S. Kastrin and C. Paige Messec.
MEDIA ADVISORY-- Hope Initiative Partners to Discuss Importance of Community Participation in DEA’s Upcoming National Take Back EventRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez and DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge Sean R. Waite will hold a press conference at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 20, 2016, at the U.S. Attorney’s Office to promote community participation in DEA’s 12th National Take Back Event, which is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 22, 2016. This media opportunity is part of the prevention and strategic planning components of the New Mexico Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education (HOPE) Initiative.
WHO:
U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez
Asst. Special Agent in Charge Sean R. Waite, DEA Albuquerque District Office
WHEN:
THURSDAY, OCT. 20, 2016
11:00 a.m.
WHERE:
U.S. Attorney’s Office of the District of New Mexico
201 Third Street NW
10th Floor Multi-Media Room (Reception on Ninth Floor)
Albuquerque, NM 87102
OPEN PRESS
NOTE: All media must present government-issued photo I.D. (i.e., driver’s license) and valid media credentials. Media may begin to arrive at 10:45 a.m. Inquiries regarding logistics should be directed to Alyssa Ferda at 505-224-1480 or [email protected].
The HOPE Initiative was launched in January 2015 by the UNM Health Sciences Center and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in response to the national opioid epidemic that has had a disproportionately devastating impact on New Mexico. Opioid addiction has taken a toll on public safety, public health and the economic viability of our communities. Working in partnership with Bernalillo County, DEA, Healing Addiction in our Community (HAC) and other community stakeholders, HOPE’s principal goals are to protect our communities from the dangers associated with heroin and opioid painkillers and reducing the number of opioid-related deaths in New Mexico. The HOPE Initiative is comprised of five components: (1) prevention and education; (2) treatment; (3) law enforcement; (4) reentry; and (5) strategic planning. Learn more about the New Mexico HOPE Initiative at http://www.HopeInitiativeNM.org.