Amadius Archuleta, Sexual Abuse of a Minor, New Mexico 2022

A 23-year-old Dulce man has pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl he met on Instagram, according to court records.

Amadius Archuleta, a Taos Pueblo Tribal Member, contacted the 14-year-old minor, Jane Doe, through the social media platform in July 2022. They met near her house and walked to Archuleta's grandparents' old house, where they consumed alcohol and marijuana. Archuleta then initiated a sexual act with Jane Doe.

Jane Doe's father contacted the Taos Pueblo Department of Public Services to report that his daughter was highly intoxicated. When officers arrived, Jane Doe disclosed that Archuleta had sexually assaulted her.

In his plea agreement, Archuleta admitted that he knew Jane Doe was 14 years old and that he initiated a sexual act with her and recorded audio of the act on his phone.

Archuleta will remain in custody pending sentencing, which has not been scheduled. At sentencing, he faces 15 years in prison followed by no less than 5 years, and up to life, of supervised release.

The Santa Fe Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Taos Pueblo Department of Public Safety. Assistant United States Attorney Alexander F. Flores is prosecuting the case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.

Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-nm/pr/dulce-man-pleads-guilty-sexual-abuse-minor