Henderson Shorty Sentenced in Child Abuse Case

Henderson Shorty, 53, of Shiprock, N.M., is headed to federal prison after admitting to sexually abusing a child under the age of 12 on the Navajo Indian Reservation. The enrolled member of the Navajo Nation was sentenced to 30 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for one count of abusive sexual contact in a case that exposed the vulnerability of children in remote tribal communities.

Shorty pleaded guilty on July 1, 2016, to a felony information charging him with abusive sexual contact. In court, he admitted to engaging in sexual contact with the child between January 1 and March 31, 2013, in Indian Country within McKinley County. The crime occurred on the Navajo Reservation, where federal jurisdiction applies due to the nature of the offense and the victim’s and perpetrator’s tribal status.

The arrest came in February 2016, when a federal grand jury returned an indictment accusing Shorty of sexually abusing the young victim on January 24, 2013. The charges carried the weight of federal law, reflecting the seriousness with which the U.S. Department of Justice treats crimes against children in Indian Country, where law enforcement resources are often stretched thin.

Shorty will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison—a lifelong consequence that follows the damage he inflicted on a child during a period of profound innocence. The sentence, handed down in Albuquerque federal court, underscores the federal government’s commitment to holding predators accountable, especially in cases involving minors and tribal lands.

The FBI’s Farmington office led the investigation, working closely with tribal authorities and federal prosecutors to build the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elaine Y. Ramirez prosecuted the case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide DOJ initiative launched in 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation. The program integrates federal, state, and local efforts to rescue victims and dismantle networks of abuse.

Project Safe Childhood continues to target predators who exploit children, both online and in person. For more information on the initiative, visit www.justice.gov/psc/. The conviction of Henderson Shorty serves as a stark reminder: even in the most isolated corners of the country, federal law enforcement is watching.