GRANTS, N.M. – A Pinehill man has been indicted in federal court on charges alleging he sexually abused two minors over a seven-year period.
According to court documents, between February 2017 and February 2023, TJ James, 41, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, allegedly engaged in sexual acts with two minor victims.
James is charged with four counts of sexual abuse, one count of abusive sexual contact and two counts of aggravated sexual abuse. He will remain in custody pending trial, which has not yet been scheduled. If convicted on all counts, James faces no less than 30 years and up to life in prison.
Acting U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office, announced the indictment on Nov. 20.
The Gallup Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated the case with assistance from the Ramah-Navajo Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Mondragon is prosecuting the case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide Department of Justice initiative launched in 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.
Project Safe Childhood coordinates federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as to identify and rescue victims. More information is available at Justice.gov/PSC. Project Safe Childhood has had significant success in the Cibola area.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.