11-23-2024 7:49am

DOJ New Mexico District Weekly News Roundup Nov 22, 2024

Chris Edwards Editor

From Las Cruces a former emergency dispatcher for the Mesilla Valley Regional Dispatch Authority (MVRDA), faces charges for making multiple terroristic threats against county facilities and employees via Facebook posts.

Jason Rivera, 53, of Las Cruces, appeared before a federal judge and will remain in custody pending a detention hearing, which has been set for Tuesday, November 26, 2024.

According to court records, Rivera's posts on April 11 and April 25, 2024, included alarming claims of explosives at MVRDA and direct threats to specific employees. One post stated there was a bomb at the MVRDA, prompting a lockdown and bomb sweep by the Dona Ana County Sheriff’s Office. Rivera also registered a website titled "killdonaanacounty.org" and tagged county officials in his threatening messages.

The investigation revealed Rivera used a public Facebook account to make these threats, with an IP address linked to his residence. After being taken into custody on April 25, Rivera acknowledged his account and the threatening posts during an interview with law enforcement.

Rivera worked at MVRDA for eight years until September 2020, during which he exhibited troubling behavior, including harassment of former colleagues and erratic incidents leading to disciplinary actions. Following his resignation, Riveraintensified his threats towards former coworkers and their families.

If convicted of the current charges, Rivera faces up to 10 years in prison.

U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement.

The Las Cruces Resident Agency of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Dona Ana County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Ry Ellison is prosecuting the case.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

A man is charged with assault with a dangerous weapon for allegedly stabbing a man outside a Shiprock grocery store.

Josiah Bodie, 22, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, appeared before a federal judge today and will remain on conditions of release pending trial, which has not been scheduled.

According to the criminal complaint, on November 12, 2024, Navajo Nation Police Department officers responded to reports of a stabbing at a grocery store in Shiprock, New Mexico, located within the Navajo Nation. When officers arrived, they found a male victim with an apparent stab wound. Officers located Bodie nearby in possession of a knife with brass knuckles on the handle.

The complaint alleges that Bodie approached the victim outside the store and initiated a physical altercation, during which he stabbed the victim with a knife.

If convicted on the current charges, Bodie faces 10 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release.

U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement.

The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with the assistance of the Navajo Nation Police Department and the Navajo Nation Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Caitlin L. Dillon is prosecuting the case.

View the Criminal Complaint (Bodie).pdf

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

A San Felipe man pleaded guilty in federal court to sexually abusing an 11-year-old girl on tribal lands.

According to court documents, Vernon Chavez, 62, an enrolled member of the Pueblo of San Felipe, admitted that between August 1 and August 15, 2022, he intentionally touched an 11-year-old girl through her clothing with the intent to gratify his sexual desire. The abuse occurred within the exterior boundaries of the San Felipe Pueblo.

In his plea agreement, Chavez acknowledged that he knew the victim was approximately 11 years old at the time of the offense.

Chavez was detained pending sending, which has not been set. At sentencing, Chavez faces 10-15 years in federal prison. There is no parole in the federal system.

U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez made the announcement..

The Bureau of Indian Affairs investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Jesse Pecoraro is prosecuting the case.

View the Plea Agreement (Chavez).pdf

A Shiprock man was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for a shooting incident that occurred in Shiprock in 2023.

Tyrell Willie, 38, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, pleaded guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon, assault resulting in serious bodily injury, and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.

There is no parole in the federal system.

According to court documents, on May 28, 2023,Willie contacted Jane Doe via Facebook Messenger and requested to visit her at her home. Willie arrived at Jane Doe’s residence at approximately 2:00 a.m. After a brief conversation, Willie became aggressive and attempted to forcibly remove Jane Doe from her vehicle until her son, John Doe, intervened to protect his mother.

Following the altercation, Willie left the scene but later returned. When John Doe exited his home, Willie, who was lying in wait by circling the neighborhood, turned off the headlights to his vehicle, drove up to John Doe, and discharged two rounds from the driver’s seat, with one shot striking John Doe in the stomach. Navajo Nation Police officers, who were already in the area responding to reports of erratic driving, quickly pursued and apprehended Willie.

Upon his release from prison, Willie will be subject to five years of supervised release.

U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement.

FBI Farmington Agency investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Matthew J. McGinley prosecuted the case.

According to court documents, on May 9, 2022, Lindsey Yazzie and Brandon Barber attacked a woman driving her Jeep on the Navajo Nation. Yazzie threw a large rock at the vehicle's windshield, forcing the victim to stop. Yazzie and Barber then violently removed the victim from the vehicle, as he repeatedly attempted to strike the victim in the head with a rock.

After forcibly taking the victim’s Jeep, Yazzie and Barber fled the scene, nearly striking the victim with the stolen vehicle as they drove away. They later led Navajo Nation police on a high-speed chase before abandoning the vehicle.

At sentencing, Yazzie faces up to fifteen years in prison. Upon her release from prison, Yazzie will be subject to up to three years of supervised release.

U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement.

The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Robert James Booth II is prosecuting the case.

View the Plea Agreement (Yazzie).pdf