Babaamaajimowinan (Telling of news in different places)

TRIBAL JUSTICE NEWS - Dec. 19-23, 2011

INDIAN COUNTRY PUBLIC SAFETY INITIATIVES

Read Recent Blogs on Justice Department initiatives and programs in Indian Country at http://blogs.usdoj.gov/blog/, or visit the Tribal Justice and Safety Website: http://www.justice.gov/tribal/

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DRUG AND FIREARMS ENFORCEMENT

Northern Arapaho Man Sentenced for Being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm (U.S. Attorney for the District of Wyoming)

U.S. Attorney Christopher A. Crofts announced that on Dec. 20, 2011, Joshua Addison, 29, a Northern Arapaho tribal member from the Wind River Reservation, was sentenced to 33 months in prison and three years of supervised release for being a felon in possession of a firearm. The conviction stems from the defendant’s role in an altercation that took place on the Wind River Indian Reservation on May 23, 2011.

http://www.justice.gov/usao/wy/

Bismarck, N.D., Man Pleads Guilty to Burglary & Gun Charges (U.S. Attorney for the District of North Dakota)

U.S. Attorney Timothy Q. Purdon announced that on Dec. 19, 2011, Brandin Decoteau, 23, of Bismarck, N.D., pleaded guilty to burglary and possession of a stolen firearm. On April 14, 2010, Decoteau entered a home in the Belcourt area by kicking in the door and took a rifle. Decoteau later sold the rifle to another person, who turned it into law enforcement. The charge of burglary carries a statutory maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Possession of a stolen firearm carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing for Decoteau has been scheduled for Feb. 27, 2012, in U.S. District

Court in Minot, N.D.

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PUBLIC CORRUPTION

Former Coordinator of an Indian Tribal Organization Sentenced for Embezzlement (U.S. Attorney for the District of North Dakota)

U.S. Attorney Timothy Q. Purdon announced that on Dec. 19, 2011, Patricia Robertson, aka Patricia Cavanaugh, 53, of St. Michael, N.D., was sentenced on a charge of embezzlement. Judge Conmy sentenced Robertson to three years of probation, which includes six months of home confinement. Robertson was ordered to pay restitution of $5,458.80 and to pay a $100 special assessment to the Crime Victim's Fund. Robertson was found guilty by a 12-person jury on October 20, 2011, of embezzlement from the Spirit Lake Tribe’s Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). Robertson, the former coordinator of LIHEAP, was convicted of misapplying funds belonging to LIHEAP on the Spirit Lake Indian Reservation.

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VIOLENT CRIME PROSECUTION

Man Indicted For Assault On Indian Reservation (U.S. Attorney for the District of Eastern Michigan)

U.S. Attorney Barbara L. McQuade announced that Colby Anthony Skippergosh, 33, of Lansing, Mich. was arraigned on Dec. 22, 2011, after being indicted on Oct. 26, 2011, by a federal grand jury in Bay City for assault causing serious bodily injury and assault with a dangerous weapon with the intent to do bodily injury. The indictment charges that on Oct. 8, 2011, Skippergosh assaulted the victim on the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Reservation in Isabella County. During the incident, it is alleged that Skippergosh threw the victim to the ground and stomped him in the head which caused serious injuries. If convicted, Skippergosh faces up to 10 years in prison on each count.

http://www.justice.gov/usao/mie/index.html

Gila River Man Sentenced To 230 Months In Prison For Murder (U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona)

Acting U.S. Attorney Ann Birmingham Scheel announced that on Dec. 21, 2011, Raymond Herman French, 41, of Sacaton, Ariz., was sentenced to 230 months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. French pleaded guilty on May 31, 2011, to the crime of second degree murder. French murdered the victim, Jeffrey Thomas, on Jan. 22, 2011, when he shot the victim with a firearm. The victim died as a result of the injury. The crime occurred on the Gila River Indian Community.

http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/

Leupp, Ariz., Man Sentenced To Over Eighteen Years For Brutal Rape (U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona)

Acting U.S. Attorney Ann Birmingham Scheel announced on Dec. 22, 2011, that David Karl Wilson, Jr. 42, of Leupp, Ariz., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge G. Murray Snow to 220 months in the Bureau of Prisons. Wilson pleaded guilty on Aug. 30, 2011, to aggravated sexual abuse. The defendant met the adult female victim while both were traveling to Flagstaff, Ariz., from the Navajo reservation. The victim agreed to accept a ride from the defendant back to her home, but on the way back, the defendant drove off the main road and violently sexually assaulted the victim. The victim was injured so severely that she required major surgery.

Pascua Yaqui Tribal Member Sentenced To Eight Years In Prison For Abusive Sexual Contact (U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona)

Joe C. Madrid, 49, of Tucson, Ariz., was sentenced to eight years in prison in U.S. District Court on Dec. 18, 2011. Madrid had pleaded guilty to Abusive Sexual Contact on Oct. 3, 2011. The facts showed that on March 27, 2009, the defendant sexually abused a minor female. The sentence includes a term of supervised release for life after defendant serves his prison term. Madrid will be required to register as a sex offender pursuant to state and federal law.

Red Lake man sentenced for firing AK-47 assault rifle at a residence (U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota)

U.S. Attorney B. Todd Jones announced that on Dec. 22, 2011, in federal court in St. Paul, a 21-year-old Red Lake man was sentenced for firing an AK-47 assault rifle at a residence on the Red Lake Indian Reservation. U.S. District Court Judge Donovan W. Frank sentenced Jesse Dale Roy to a term of five years of probation on one count of assault with a dangerous weapon. Roy was indicted on April 20, 2011, and pleaded guilty on Oct. 28, 2011. The defendant is required to reside at a halfway house for four months and complete 100 hours of community service as conditions or his probation. In his plea agreement, Roy admitted that on March 14, 2011, he fired several shots from an AK-47 rifle at the home of a female member of the Red Lake Band of Chippewa with intent to do bodily harm.

Gallup, N.M., Man Pleads Guilty To Federal Child Sexual Abuse Offense (U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico)

U.S. Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales announced that on Dec 16, 2011, in federal Court, Vernon Parker, 39, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation from Gallup, N.M., pleaded guilty to an indictment charging him with abusive sexual contact with a child under the age of 12. The plea was entered under a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office that requires the imposition of a prison sentence of not less than 33 to 41 months to be followed by at least five years of supervised release. Parker also will be required to register as a sex offender. Parker was indicted on July 27, 2011 and was arrested on Sept. 5, 2011. He has been in federal custody since that time and remains detained pending his sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled.

Tohajiilee Man Receives Sentence Of 43 Years In Prison For Child Rape Conviction (U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico

On Dec 15, 2011, Eddie Chaco, Jr., 30, was sentenced to 43 years in prison for child sex abuse offenses, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales. Chaco will be on supervised release for 10 years after completing his prison sentence and also will be required to register as a sex offender. Chaco, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation from Tohajiilee, N.M., was convicted of three counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child under 12 years of age on Aug. 11, 2011, after a three-day trial.

http://www.justice.gov/usao/nm/

Leonard David Villa, Jr. Sentenced In U.S. District Court (U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana)

U.S. Attorney Michael W. Cotter announced that during a federal court session in Great Falls, Mont., on Dec. 19, 2011, before U.S. District Judge Sam E. Haddon, Leonard David Villa, Jr., 21, of Browning, Mont., appeared for sentencing. Villa was sentenced to a term of 30 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. Villa was sentenced in connection with his guilty plea to assault resulting in serious bodily injury. An offer of proof filed by the government stated that on March 19, 2011, Villa assaulted a victim in a gas station parking lot in Browning. The victim suffered a nasal bone fracture and facial injuries. His injuries were categorized as serious bodily injury by a Blackfeet Community Hospital physician.

Jonson Dean Running Crane Pleads Guilty In U.S. Federal Court (U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana)

The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced that during a federal court session in Great Falls, Mont., on Dec. 19, 2011, before U.S. District Judge Sam E. Haddon, Jonson Dean Running Crane, 23, of Browning, pleaded guilty to assault resulting in serious bodily injury. Sentencing has been set for March 26, 2012. He is currently detained. According to an offer of proof filed by the government, on June 15, 2011, Running Crane assaulted a female victim on the Blackfeet Reservation by grabbing her by the throat, throwing her down and punching her. The victim was transported to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with a fracture to her left maxillary sinus. Running Crane faces possible penalties of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years supervised release.

http://www.justice.gov/usao/mt/

Wolf Point, Mont., Man, 65, Sentenced for Abusive Sexual Contact (U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana)

The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced that during a federal court session in Great Falls, Mont., on Dec. 19, 2011, a 65-year-old resident of Wolf Point, Mont., was sentenced to 41 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release. Demarrias was sentenced in connection with his guilty plea to abusive sexual contact. According to an offer of proof filed by the government, Demarrias sexually abused a girl from approximately age seven to eleven. Demarrias is an enrolled member of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate, Lake Traverse Reservation in South Dakota.

Eagle Butte, S.D., Man Sentenced for Assault (U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota)

U.S. Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that an Eagle Butte, S.D., man charged with assault with a dangerous weapon was sentenced on Dec. 20, 2011. Warren Barondeaux, aka Conrad Brings Horse, 41, was sentenced to 46 months in prison and two years of supervised release. Barondeaux was indicted for assault with a dangerous weapon by a federal grand jury on July 12, 2011. On March 25, 2011, at a house in Eagle Butte, Barondeaux assaulted a woman with a screwdriver who tried to intervene in an altercation between Barondeaux and his girlfriend.

http://www.justice.gov/usao/sd/

 

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