LAGUNA PUEBLO – An Albuquerque man responsible for a crime spree in the Pueblo of Laguna in 2018 was sentenced to four years in federal prison on May 5. Devan Andrew Martinez, aged 34 of Albuquerque, New Mexico, pleaded guilty to a string of residential burglaries where Martinez stole over a dozen firearms from residents.
On July 18, 2018, a Pueblo of Laguna Police Officer saw a vehicle parked outside the gated entrance of South Range Unit, on the southside of Interstate 40. The unnamed officer approached the vehicle and noticed two men inside. The vehicle did not have a license plate, and Martinez did not have a bill of sale or a title for the vehicle. At this point, the officer asked the two occupants to leave the vehicle and began to look for a vehicle identification number when he discovered a Taurus .45 caliber handgun on the floor of the passenger seat. The firearm was loaded.
Martinez and the unnamed passenger were taken into custody and a search warrant was obtained for the vehicle. The officer discovered nine rifles, four shotguns, two handguns, and an undisclosed amount of ammunition. In his plea deal, Martinez acknowledged that he is a convicted felon and can not legally possess firearms or ammunition.
With the items recovered from the vehicle, officers were able to quickly determine that Martinez had robbed several homes west of Albuquerque, especially in the Laguna area. According to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Martinez had broken into at least one home, multiple vehicles, at least one trailer, and multiple guns safes, which is where all 15 of the recovered firearms came from.
The State of New Mexico prosecuted these crimes and Martinez was sentenced to seven years in prison. On October 12, 2021, Martinez accepted a plea deal and admitted to stealing the firearms. He was sentenced to seven years in prison, followed by five years of supervised probation. Because Martinez has already been serving a state sentence for the stolen firearms, his federal sentence will take time served into account. Martinez has been incarcerated since July 2018, his release from federal prison is slated for October 2022. Upon his release, Martinez will have three years of supervised release.
The BIA investigated this case with assistance from the Laguna Police Department. Assistant US Attorney Alexander F. Flores prosecuted this case.