Herbert Ben, Jr., Aggravated Sexual Abuse, New Mexico 2023

ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico – In a disturbing case of child molestation, a federal jury convicted Herbert Ben, Jr., 57, of two counts of aggravated sexual abuse.

According to the trial, Ben, Jr., an enrolled member of the Jicarilla Apache Nation, molested two young girls, both under 12, between 2016 and 2022. The U.S. also presented testimony that Ben, Jr. molested another high school-age female in approximately 2019 while she babysat Ben, Jr.’s stepdaughters.

Furthermore, the trial revealed that Ben, Jr. molested another young female relative between 2010 and 2012, while she was in elementary and middle school.

For these heinous actions, jurors found Ben, Jr. guilty of two counts of aggravated sexual abuse, a crime that carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years of imprisonment.

Ben, Jr. will also be subject to mandatory victim restitution for the full amount of a victim’s losses, which include medical services relating to physical, psychiatric, or psychological care.

After serving his prison sentence, Ben, Jr. will be required to register as a sex offender and will be subject to a term of supervised release of between five years and life.

The investigation was conducted by the Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office, with assistance from the Jicarilla Apache Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zachary C. Jones and Amy Mondragon are prosecuting the case.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.

Mandatory Facts:

Defendant/Respondent Real Full Name: Herbert Ben, Jr.

Exact Criminal Charges: Two counts of aggravated sexual abuse.

City and State: Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Exact Date: Not specified in the article, but the crime occurred between 2010 and 2022.

Sentence or Outcome: 30 years of imprisonment, mandatory victim restitution, registration as a sex offender, and a term of supervised release of between five years and life.

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