PINE HILL, N.M. – Leonard Yazzie, 41, of Pine Hill, New Mexico, and an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, pleaded guilty in federal court to abusive sexual contact on July 20. The guilty plea follows an indictment by a federal grand jury in March. Yazzie admitted to sexually abusing a minor under the age of 12 on the Ramah Navajo Reservation.
United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, Alexander M.M. Uballez, and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, announced the guilty plea. Yazzie will remain in custody pending sentencing, which has yet to be scheduled.
According to the indictment, the sexual assault occurred on March 27 and March 28, 2018. Court documents further detail the abuse taking place on March 28, 2016, and March 27, 2017, with the victim being a child who had not attained the age of 12 years.
The indictment was filed against Yazzie on March 23, 2022, leading to his arraignment in court on April 5, where he was ordered to remain in custody until a detention hearing could be arranged. At sentencing, Yazzie faces a prison term of up to six-anda-half years.
The Gallup Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, along with the Ramah Navajo Police Department, handled the investigation of the case. Special Assistant United States Attorney Caitlin L. Dillon is prosecuting.
Initially, Yazzie was facing a minimum of 30 years in prison with a maximum sentence of life. The guilty plea alters the initial terms, reducing the sentencing range.