TÓHAJILEE, N.M –
A federal operation through the United States Department of Justice is leveraging federal, state, and local resources to better discover and arrest individuals who prey on children using the internet. This operation is designed to locate and protect child victims. Known to the Federal Bureau of Investigations as Project Safe Childhood, the operation was used by the FBI and Crownpoint Police Department to identify Christian Apachito of TóHajiilee and arrest him.
Apachito is a 27-year-old man who was indicted on two charges: Sexual Abuse of a Minor, and Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Child with Force or Threat. In the US Judicial System, an indictment is only an allegation and all people are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
On November 11, 2020 Apachito engaged in a forceful sexual act with a child identified as “Jane Doe” in court records. At the time of the assault, Jane Doe was older than 12 but not yet 16. The alleged crime took place on the Crownpoint Reservation of the Navajo Nation.
Apachito is currently free pending trial, which has not yet been scheduled. This case was investigated by the FBI with assistance from Crownpoint Police Department. Project Safe Childhood was launched in May 2006; it is a nationwide effort to target criminals and rescue their victims. Learn more about Project Safe Childhood at http://www.justice.gov/psc/.
This case is being prosecuted by United States Attorney Mark Pfizenmayer.