Babaamaajimowinan (Telling of news in different places)
Babaamaajimowinan (Telling of news in different places)
DRUG ENFORCEMENT AND BOOTLEGGING
Seventeen Individuals Indicted for Distributing Methamphetamine, Marijuana and Cocaine on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation (U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota)
On May 22, 2012, U.S. Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced today that 17 individuals have been indicted by a federal grand jury for drug distribution offenses alleged to have occurred in and around the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. The charges follow a large controlled substances investigation by the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety (OST-DPS) and the Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force, whose member agencies include the FBI, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI), the South Dakota Highway Patrol, the Pierre Police Department, and the OST-DPS.
http://www.justice.gov/usao/sd/pressreleases/RC-2012-05-22-drug%20offenses.html
Woman Pleads Guilty in Montana to Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine (U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana)
On May 10, 2012, Kendra Dale Arcore, 27, pleaded guilty in the District of Montana to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Sentencing has been set for Aug. 6, 2012. Arcoren admitted her role within the conspiracy and admitted to distributing more than 500 grams of methamphetamine between 2008 and June 2010. Arcoren faces possible penalties of a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison, a $4,000,000 fine and five years supervised release.
http://www.justice.gov/usao/mt/pressreleases/20120510135956.html
Saint Francis, S.D., Man Sentenced in Drug Conspiracy Case (U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota)
U.S. Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that Harvey Covey, 59, of St. Francis, was charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance, marijuana, on May 8, 2012. Covey was sentenced to 18 months in custody, four years supervised release and a $100 special assessment. The investigation revealed that Covey and others were involved in a marijuana distribution conspiracy that began in Jan. 2011.
http://www.justice.gov/usao/sd/pressreleases/Pierre-2012-05-10-Covey.html
Wolf Point, Mont., Woman Sentenced to 64 Months in Prison for Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine (U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana)
On May 10, 2012, Donna Lee Bigleggins, 35, of Wolf Point, Mont., was sentenced to 64 months in prison and six years of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Bigleggins pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine on Feb. 8, 2012. She was identified as a conspirator in an illegal methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation.
http://www.justice.gov/usao/mt/pressreleases/20120510140319.html
Ten Arrested on Federal Charges After Bootlegging and Drug Roundup on Navajo Nation (U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona)
On May 8, 2012, 10 individuals from the Navajo Nation, predominantly from the Chinle area, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark E. Aspey in federal court in Flagstaff, Ariz., on bootlegging and drug charges. The suspects were arrested following investigations that lasted approximately six months by the Navajo Police Drug and Gang Enforcement Unit and Criminal Investigators in the Chinle and Tuba City areas, who were assisted by FBI agents out of Gallup, N.M., and Flagstaff, Ariz., and the Apache County Sheriff’s Office.
http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/press_releases/2012/APR/PR_05092012_Chinle_Bootlegging.html
Porcupine, S.D., Woman Pleads Guilty to Dispensing Intoxicants on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation (U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota)
U.S. Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that Julia Marie Lamont, aka Marie Lamont, 75, of Porcupine, S.D., appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Veronica L. Duffy on April 25, 2012, and pleaded guilty to dispensing intoxicants in Indian Country. The maximum penalty upon conviction is one year in prison and a $100,000 fine. A sentencing date was set for May 24, 2012. The charge relates to Lamont possessing and selling intoxicating liquor to other people on the reservation in December 2011. The charge stemmed from a joint Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety and Bureau of Indian Affairs, Office of Justice Services, operation targeting "bootlegging" of alcohol on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.
http://www.justice.gov/usao/sd/pressreleases/RC-2012-05-03-Lamont.html
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SPOTLIGHT ON CORRUPTION
Lawyer For Coachella Valley Indian Tribe In California And Three Others Charged In Bribery Scheme Related to Projects At Spotlight 29 Casino (U.S. Attorney for the District of Central California)
An attorney for the 29 Palms Band of Mission Indians is among four people who have been indicted on federal bribery and money laundering charges for allegedly participating in scheme in which associates of the lawyer hired to provide assistance to the tribe paid kickbacks to the attorney.
The 48-count grand jury indictment returned yesterday afternoon names: Gary Edward Kovall, 66, of Ely, Minn., a licensed California attorney who acted as legal counsel for the tribe; David Alan Heslop, 74, of Templeton, Calif., who on Kovall’s recommendation was hired by the tribe to oversee some tribal business; Paul Phillip Bardos, 57, of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., a general contractor; and Peggy Anne Shambaugh, 56, of Ely, who is Kovall’s wife.
The indictment alleges that in 2007 Bardos paid Heslop more than $186,577, most of which was then funneled to Shambaugh.
According to the indictment, Kovall advised the tribe to create a limited liability company to purchase real estate, and the attorney convinced the tribe to hire Heslop as the company’s manager. Kovall and Heslop then recommended that the tribe hire Bardos to act as the tribe’s “owner’s representative” in several construction projects at the Spotlight 29 Casino. When additional construction or construction oversight became necessary in relation to casino projects, Bardos submitted proposals to perform the work, and Kovall persuaded the tribe to give Bardos the contracts. After being paid by the tribe, Bardos paid kickbacks to Heslop who, in turn, paid kickbacks to Kovall through Shambaugh.
The indictment charges all four defendants with conspiracy. Additionally, Kovall, Bardos and Shambaugh are charged with eight counts of bribery, while Heslop is charged with 16 counts of bribery. In addition to the conspiracy and bribery charges based on the kickback scheme, Bardos is charged with eight counts of money laundering, Heslop is charged with seven counts of money laundering, and Shambaugh is charged with two counts money laundering.
If they are convicted of all counts in the indictment Kovall would face a maximum statutory sentence of 75 years in federal prison and a fine of $2 million; Heslop would face a statutory maximum sentence of 225 years in federal prison and a fine of $5.75 million; Bardos would face a statutory maximum sentence of 155 years in federal prison and a fine of $4 million; and Shambaugh would face a statutory maximum sentence of 105 years in federal prison and a fine of $2.75 million.
http://www.justice.gov/usao/cac/Pressroom/2012/061.html
St. Michael, S.D., Woman Pleads Guilty to Federal Theft and Embezzlement Charges (U.S. Attorney for the District of North Dakota)
U.S. Attorney Timothy Q. Purdon announced that on May 8, 2012,Tanya Jetty of St. Michael, N.D., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Ralph R. Erickson to charges, in two separate cases, of conspiracy to embezzle from an Indian Tribal organization, embezzlement and theft from an Indian Tribal organization, and false statements. Jetty, 38, was the compliance officer for the Spirit Lake Vocational Rehabilitation Program (Voc-Rehab) from January 1998 to May 2011. During this time, Jetty knowingly allowed greater than $1,000 of Voc-Rehab funds to be illegally misapplied to personally benefit herself and other family members. The investigation into alleged public corruption in the Spirit Lake Voc-Rehab program has produced the federal conviction of seven individuals, including two former tribal council members. Jetty is facing a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.
http://www.justice.gov/usao/nd/news/2012/05-08-12-Jetty%20Pleads.html
Former Employee of Newcastle, Okla., Gaming Facility Pleads Guilty to Embezzlement (U.S. Attorney for Western District of Oklahoma)
Juanita Marie Stevenson, 26, of Norman, Okla., pleaded guilty to embezzlement from the Newcastle Gaming center. Stevenson admitted than in April and May of 2007 she helped security guards, family and friends win promotional games that were intended for random drawing. The parties agreed that the financial loss did not exceed $17,500. Stevenson will be sentenced on Aug. 1, 2012.
http://www.justice.gov/usao/okw/news/2012/2012_05_02_2.html
Clark Man Sentenced for Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud (U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota)
U.S. Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that Daniel T. Weber, 60, was sentenced to 18 months probation, 6 months of home confinement, $12, 252 in restitution to the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, a $2000 fine and a $100 special assessment in connection to his conviction on Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud. The conviction relates to Weber and others falsely conspiring to obtain grazing privileges from the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe to pasture non-Indian owned cattle on tribally owned grazing range units.
http://www.justice.gov/usao/sd/pressreleases/Pierre-2012-05-02-Weber.html
Bullhead Woman Pleads Guilty to Embezzling from Bank in McLaughlin (U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota)
U.S. Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that Ella Mae Kills Pretty Enemy, 22, of Bullhead, pleaded guilty to Bank Embezzlement on April 30, 2012. The maximum penalty upon conviction is 30 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine or both. The plea stems from incidents between Nov. and Dec. 201, when Kills Pretty Enemy was employed as a teller at a bank in McLaughlin, S.D. During that time, Kills Pretty Enemy embezzled $1,500 in cash from her cash drawer.
http://www.justice.gov/usao/sd/pressreleases/Pierre-2012-05-02-Kills%20Pretty%20Enemy.html
Ft. Thompson Man Pleads Guilty to Misprision of Felony (U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota)
U.S. Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that Loren “Rocky” Fallis, 58, of Ft. Thompson, pleaded guilty to Misprision of Felony on April 30, 2012. The maximum penalty upon conviction is 3 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine or both. The guilty plea stems from an incident where Fallis lied to Office of Inspector General agents about a meeting on Oct. 21, the division of $5000 cash between several members of the Crow Creek Sioux Tribal Council.
http://www.justice.gov/usao/sd/pressreleases/Pierre-2012-05-02-Fallis.html
Eagle Butte Woman Pleads Guilty to Embezzlement (U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota-)
U.S. Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that Miranda Walters, 24, of Eagle Butte, pleaded guilty to embezzlement and theft from an Indian Tribal Organization on May 1, 2012. The maximum penalty upon conviction is five years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both. The conviction stems from Walters, an employee of Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Telephone Authority, Subway Store #52679, and taking cash from the cash register on four or five different occasions which totaled over $3000.
http://www.justice.gov/usao/sd/pressreleases/Pierre-2012-05-02-Walters.html
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VIOLENT CRIME
Grygla man indicted for sexually abusing three girls (U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota)
Earlier this week in federal court, a 59-year-old man from the northern Minnesota community of Grygla was charged in a superseding indictment for sexually abusing two additional girls while on the Red Lake Indian Reservation. On May 21, 2012, Dean Earl Wilkens was charged with one count of aggravated sexual abuse of a child under the age of 12 and one count of abusive sexual conduct, in addition to the existing three counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child under the age of 12. Wilkens remains in custody. The indictment alleges that between December 12, 2008, and December 12, 2011, Wilkens, an Indian, engaged in sexual acts with each of the three girls. If convicted, Wilkens faces a potential maximum penalty of life in prison on each count. All sentences will be determined by a federal district court judge.
http://www.justice.gov/usao/mn/wilkenssuperseding.html
Macy Man Charged with Assault (U.S. Attorney for the District of Nebraska)
U.S. Attorney Deborah Gilg announced that on May 23, 2012, Wisdom P. Webster, 28, of Macy, Neb., is charged in a two-count indictment. Count I charges the defendant with assault with a dangerous weapon on or about Jan. 7, 2012. The maximum possible penalty on this count includes imprisonment of 10 years, a fine of $250,000, followed by 3 years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count II charges Webster with assault causing serious bodily injury on or about Jan. 7, 2012. The maximum penalty includes 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, followed by a term of supervised release of 3 years, and a special assessment of $100.
Winnebago Man Charged with Assault (U.S. Attorney for the District of Nebraska)
U.S. Attorney Deborah Gilg announced that on May 23, 2012, Anthony Whitewater, 19, of Winnebago, Neb., is charged in a two-count indictment. Count I charges the defendant with assault with a dangerous weapon on or about April 21, 2012. The maximum possible penalty on this count includes 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, followed by 3 years of supervised release and a $100 special assessment. Count II charges Whitewater with assault causing serious bodily injuries on or about Feb. 21, 2012. The maximum penalty includes 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, followed by a term of supervised release of three years, and a special assessment of $100.
Mission Man Pleads Guilty to Abusive Sexual Contact (U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota)
U.S. Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced on May 22, 2012, that Markis Rattling Leaf, 29, of Mission, S.D., pleaded guilty to abusive sexual contact. The maximum penalty upon conviction is life in custody, a $250,000 fine, or both. The charge stems from an incident that took place on or about Nov. 3, 2011, when Rattling had sexual contact with an 8 year old male. Sentencing was set for Aug. 13, 2012.
http://www.justice.gov/usao/sd/pressreleases/Pierre-2012-05-22-Rattling%20Leaf.html
Gila River Man Sentenced To 54 Months For Assault Resulting In Serious Bodily Injury (U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona)
On May 8, 2012, Gabriel Lee Enos, Jr., 23, of Laveen, Ariz., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Susan R. Bolton to 54 months in federal prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. On Feb. 27, 2012, Enos entered a guilty plea to assault resulting in serious bodily injury. According to the plea agreement, on Jan. 1, 2010, Enos was walking past the victim’s residence on the Gila River Indian Community when the two exchanged words. Enos struck the victim in the head multiple times, using the butt of a shotgun. As a result, the victim sustained serious, potentially life threatening, head injuries. The injuries included bleeding on the brain and required a lengthy hospitalization.
http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/press_releases/2012/APR/PR_05092012_Enos.html
New Town, N.D., Man Pleads Guilty to Assault (U.S. Attorney for the District of North Dakota)
On May 4, 2012, Robert W. Brugh Jr., aka Trebor Brugh, 40, of New Town, N.D., pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to a charge of assault resulting in serious bodily injury. On Jan. 9, 2012, Brugh went to the United Prairie Cooperative in New Town to discuss the delivery of propane from the business. Brugh became upset that propane could not be delivered that day, and Brugh struck an employee in the face, causing the employee’s glasses to be knocked off. Brugh then punched the employee in the head and face, knocking the employee to the floor. The employee’s head struck the floor as he fell. The employee suffered a closed head injury to his brain, contusions to his head and a skull fracture and was hospitalized for several days. The charge of assault resulting in serious bodily injury carries a statutory maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing for Brugh has been scheduled for Aug. 3, 2012.
http://www.justice.gov/usao/nd/news/2012/05-04-12-Brugh%20Plea.html
Red Lake woman sentenced for maiming another (U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota)
On May 4, 2012, in federal court in Duluth, Minn., a 25-year-old Red Lake woman was sentenced for maiming another Red Lake woman by biting her ear off and biting her nose. U.S. District Court Judge Richard H. Kyle sentenced Joelyn Rose Hart to five years of probation, including six months in a community corrections facility, on one count of maiming. Hart was indicted on June 8, 2011, and pleaded guilty on July 14, 2011. In her plea agreement, Hart admitted that on Jan. 1, 2009, she intended to torture, maim and disfigure another woman by biting off her ear and biting her nose at a New Year’s Day party on the Red Lake Indian Reservation. The victim had to undergo three reconstructive surgeries to re-attach and repair her ear.
http://www.justice.gov/usao/mn/hartsentenced.html
Fort Yates Man Pleads Guilty to Assaulting Federal Officer (U.S. Attorney for the District of North Dakota)
On May 4, 2012, Gary Two Horses, 48, of Fort Yates, N.D., pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to a charge of assaulting and resisting a federal officer. On Feb. 25, 2012, law enforcement officers responded to an incident report involving Two Horses. Two Horses was placed under arrest and escorted to a patrol vehicle. Because Two Horses had difficulty getting into the patrol vehicle, the officer grabbed Two Horses’s legs to assist. At that time, Two Horses kicked the officer in the chest. The charge of assaulting and resisting a federal officer carries a statutory maximum penalty of eight years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.
http://www.justice.gov/usao/nd/news/2012/05-04-12-Two%20Horses%20Plea.html
Belcourt Man Pleads Guilty to Assaulting Federal Officer (U.S. Attorney for the District of North Dakota)
On May 4, 2012, Peter J. Laducer, 27, of Belcourt, N.D., pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to a charge of assaulting and resisting a federal officer. On March 18, 2011, law enforcement officers responded to an incident report involving Laducer and subsequently arrested Laducer and placed him in the back of a patrol vehicle. Upon arrival at the police department, Laducer was noncompliant with exiting the patrol vehicle and had to by physically removed. Once at the booking desk, Laducer became disorderly and spit in the face of a federal officer. Laducer was taken to a cell and once again spit in the face of the federal officer. The charge of assaulting and resisting a federal officer carries a statutory maximum penalty of eight years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.
http://www.justice.gov/usao/nd/news/2012/05-04-12-Peter%20Laducer%20Plea.html
Porcupine, N.D., Man Sentenced for Assault (U.S. Attorney for the District of North Dakota)
On May 4, 2012, Seth L. Harrison, 31, of Porcupine, N.D., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Daniel L. Hovland on charges of assault resulting in serious bodily injury and witness tampering. Harrison pleaded guilty to the charges on Feb. 9, 2012. Judge Hovland sentenced Harrison to eight years in federal prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Harrison was ordered to pay $1100 in restitution and to pay a $200 special assessment to the Crime Victim’s Fund. On July 31, 2011, Harrison physically assaulted a woman in Porcupine by punching her with his fist and by kicking her. Following Harrison being ordered detained pending trial on the assault charges, Harrison placed several phone calls to witnesses which were recorded. In the phone conversations, Harrison asked the witnesses to draft new statements to law enforcement officials regarding the assault, which were to indicate either that the witness did not see the assault or that the victim exaggerated the assault. In one of the calls, Harrison asks an unknown female to further assault the victim. Harrison indicated in the phone calls that he intended to use the new statements to influence the court to revisit Harrison’s detention status.
http://www.justice.gov/usao/nd/news/2012/05-04-12-Harrison%20Sentenced.html
Gilbert G. Walks, Jr. Sentenced In U.S. District Court (U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana)
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Montana announced on May 4, 2012 that Gilbert G. Walks, Jr., 49, of Crow Agency was sentenced to 24 months in prison, a $400 special assessment, 100 hours community service and one year supervised release. Walks was sentenced in connection with his guilty plea to unlawfully trafficking in eagles and hawks. On Feb. 2, 2010, Walks sold five whole-carcass dead eagles for $2,000 to a U.S. Fish and Wildlife service informant.
http://www.justice.gov/usao/mt/pressreleases/20120504111414.html
Waylon Dean Sioux Sentenced In U.S. District Court (U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana)
The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Montana announced that, on May 3, 2012, Waylon Dean Sioux, 36, of Lame Deer, was sentenced to 21 months imprisonment, $100 special assessment and two years supervised release in connection with his guilty plea to Assault with a Dangerous Weapon. On Feb. 22, 2011, Sioux pulled up next to a couple walking in the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation in his pick-up truck. Sioux then demanded that the female victim enter his vehicle while aiming a rifle at her. The female got into Sioux’s truck, and Sioux drove away.
http://www.justice.gov/usao/mt/pressreleases/20120504103316.html
Mission Man Sentenced in Two Separate Cases (U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota)
U.S. Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that a Mission man charged in two separate cases was sentenced on May 1, 2012, by United States District Judge Roberto A. Lange. In the first case, Brady Paul Makes Room For Them, 27, was sentenced to 62 months in custody, 5 years supervised release, and $100 special assessment for a conviction of Assault With a Dangerous Weapon and Aiding and Abetting. In the second case, Makes Room For Them was sentenced to 62 months in custody, 1 year supervised release and a $100 special assessment for a conviction of failure to register as a sex offender. The two sentences are to run concurrently. In the first case, Makes Room For Them was indicted for assault with a dangerous weapon after he stabbed a victim with a pocket knife on June 11, 2011. In the second case, Makes Room For Them was indicted for failure to register as a sex offender. He was convicted of abusive sexual contact in September 2005, received a prison sentence, and was ordered to register as a sex offender. Makes Room For Them failed to maintain his registration requirements from Aug. 2011 to Jan. 4, 2012.
http://www.justice.gov/usao/sd/pressreleases/Pierre-2012-05-04-Makes%20Room%20For%20Them.html
Fruitland, N.M., Man Pleads Guilty To Federal Voluntary Manslaughter Charge (U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico) On May 3, 2012, Uriah Upshaw, 20, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation who resides in Fruitland, N.M., pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter. At sentencing, Upshaw faces up to 15 years in prison to be followed by no more than three years supervised release. A sentencing hearing has yet to be scheduled. Upshaw pleaded guilty to killing Mario Desheuquette, 32, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation on Aug. 26, 2011 by striking him with his hands during a sudden quarrel while intoxicated.
http://www.justice.gov/usao/nm/pr/2012/2012-05-03_upshaw_pr.pdf
Man From Two Grey Hills, N.M., Sentenced to 15 Years In Prison for Child Sexual Abuse Conviction (U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico)
On May 3, 2012, Cassidine McDonald, 24, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation who resides in Two Grey Hills, N.M., was sentenced to a 15 years in prison and five years supervised release for his aggravated child sexual abuse conviction. He also will be required to register as a sex offender. On Sept. 7, 2011, McDonald pleaded guilty three counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a minor. McDonald admitted to sexually abusing a four-year-old child on three occasions between August 2010 and January 2011
http://www.justice.gov/usao/nm/pr/2012/2012-05-03_mcdonald_pr.pdf
Newcomb, N.M., Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Assault Charge (U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico)
On May 3, 2012, Delsanto Ray Allen, 24, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation who resides in Newcomb, N.M., pleaded guilty to a charge of assault with a dangerous weapon charge under a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico. At sentencing, Allen faces up to 10 years in prison. In his plea agreement, Allen admitted to assaulting a woman, causing her to fall from a moving vehicle on Nov. 1, 2011, in Indian County. He further admitted that the woman was seriously injured as a result of his assault.
http://www.justice.gov/usao/nm/pr/2012/2012-05-03_allen_pr.pdf
Laguna Pueblo Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Second Degree Murder and Assault Charges (U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico)
On May 3, 2012, Vincent Paul Francis, 45, a member and resident of the Pueblo of Laguna, pleaded guilty to an indictment charging him with two counts of second degree murder and one count of assault resulting in serious bodily injury under a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico. Under the terms of the plea agreement, Francis will be sentenced to 10 years in prison and three years supervised release. Sentencing has not yet been scheduled. Francis pleaded guilty to killing his girlfriend, Shannon Luarkie, 45, and his sister Anita Yazzie, 38, and seriously injuring a 20-year-old woman on Nov. 20, 2011, by driving while intoxicated and crashing the vehicle that in which his victims were passengers. All of Francis’s victims were members of the Pueblo.
http://www.justice.gov/usao/nm/pr/2012/2012-05-03_francis_pr.pdf
Walthill, Neb., Man Sentenced For Second Conviction of Abusive Sexual Contact (U.S. Attorney for the District of Nebraska)
U.S. Attorney Deborah R. Gilg announced that Victor Smith, 71, of Walthill, Neb., was sentenced on May 3, 2012, in federal court for his convictions for abusive sexual contact and violation of supervised release. Smith was sentenced to a total of 36 months in prison to be followed by a lifetime term of supervised release. Smith was convicted of abusive sexual contact on July 25, 2007, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nebraska. In that case, Smith was charged with sexually abusing two minor females. Smith was placed on supervised release following his release from prison. While on supervised release, Smith sexually abused an 18-year-old female by fondling her breasts without her consent. Although Smith lived in Walthill, Nebraska, the sexual abuse occurred on the Winnebago Indian Reservation.
Wakpala Man Pleads Guilty to Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Child (U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota)
U.S. Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that Gerard Deshauquette, aka Gerard Desheuquette, 22, of Wakpala, S.D., pleaded guilty to aggravated sexual abuse of a child on April 30, 2012. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a mandatory minimum of 30 years up to life in prison, a $250,000 fine or both. The guilty plea arose from an incident between November 2009 and November 2011 in Wakpala in which Deshauquette sexually assaulted a child.
http://www.justice.gov/usao/sd/pressreleases/Pierre-2012-03-02-Deshauquette.html
Tohono O’odham Man Pleads Guilty to Second Degree Murder (U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona)
On May 1, 2012, Nicholas Demetrius Jose, 23, of San Biguel, Ariz, pleaded guilty to second degree murder. According to the plea agreement, on Aug. 8, 2010, Jjose and the victim were involved in a verbal altercation at the victim’s residence in San Miguel, on the Tohono O’odham Nation. Jose then retrieved a .22 caliber Ruger rifle from his home and fired two shots, striking the victim once in the chest. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene. A conviction for second degree murder carries a maximum penalty of life in prison, a $250,000 fine or both.
http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/press_releases/2012/APR/PR_05032012_Jose.html
Little Eagle Man Pleads Guilty to Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Child (U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota)
U.S. Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that Burton Little Dog, 43, of Little Eagle, pleaded guilty to Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Child on April 30, 2012. The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to life in custody, a $250,000 fine, or both. The guilty plea stems from an incident between Dec. 2004 and April 2006, in Little Eagle, in which Little Dog sexually assaulted a child.
http://www.justice.gov/usao/sd/pressreleases/Pierre-2012-05-02-Little%20Dog.html
Eagle Butte Man Pleads Guilty to Assault (U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota)
U.S. Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that Ervin D. Addison, 30, of Eagle Butte, pleaded guilty to Count I of an indictment that charged him with assault with a dangerous weapon on April 30, 2012. The maximum penalty upon conviction is 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both. The guilty plea stems from an incident on July 23, 2011, when Addison allegedly stabbed the victim and then himself.
http://www.justice.gov/usao/sd/pressreleases/Pierre-2012-05-02-Addison.html
CIVIL RIGHTS
Former New Mexico Police Officer Pleads Guilty To Sexual Abuse (Civil Rights Division, U.S. Department of Justice)
On May 4, 2012, Lawrence Etsitty, 30, a former police officer with the Navajo Police Department, pleaded guilty in federal court to two charges related to the sexual abuse of a woman who was in his custody on Jan. 25, 2009. Etsitty pleaded guilty to violating the civil rights of the victim when he touched and kissed her against her will, while she was handcuffed. Etsitty also pleaded guilty to making false statements to the FBI in connection with the sexual assault. Etsitty did not enter a plea to the portion of the indictment that alleged the offense included kidnapping
“Any law enforcement officer who uses his official authority as a means of preying upon and sexually abusing a person in his custody undermines the trust between citizens and police officers that is crucial to our justice system,” said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. “The Department of Justice and the Civil Rights Division commends the victim who came forward to report this reprehensible conduct and will vigorously prosecute sexual assaults by law enforcement officers.”
Etsitty faces a maximum sentence of up to six years in prison. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.
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