Patrick Moquino, Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury, New Mexico 2017

State: New Mexico
Category: Violent Crime
Source: <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-nm/pr/mescalero-apache-man-pleads-guilty-federal-assault-charge-7" style="color:#cc0000;" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">DOJ Press Release ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Â Ã¢â‚¬â€

Mescalero Apache Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Assault

ALBUQUERQUE – Patrick Moquino, 39, a native of the Mescalero Apache Nation, has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for his role in a brutal assault. Moquino, who resides in Mescalero, New Mexico, was arrested on July 11, 2017, after allegedly punching and kicking a Mescalero Apache man in the head.

The victim, who has not been named, suffered a fractured nasal bone and head trauma as a result of the assault. According to court documents, Moquino committed the crime on March 14, 2017, on the Mescalero Apache Indian Reservation in Otero County, New Mexico.

Moquino was indicted on November 8, 2017, and charged with assault resulting in serious bodily injury. He subsequently pled guilty to the indictment and admitted to assaulting the victim while the victim was lying on the ground.

The case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of the FBI and the Mescalero Agency of the BIA’s Office of Justice Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron O. Jordan of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office is prosecuting the case.

Moquino faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. A sentencing hearing has yet to be scheduled.

The assault is a stark reminder of the violence that plagues some Native American communities. The Mescalero Apache Nation has struggled with high rates of crime and violence in recent years.

The case is a testament to the tireless efforts of law enforcement agencies to bring justice to victims of crime. The FBI and the Mescalero Agency of the BIA’s Office of Justice Services have worked tirelessly to investigate and prosecute this case.

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