Albuquerque, New Mexico – In a disturbing case of violence against a Native American teenager, 24-year-old Jayson Gustina, of Sanostee, N.M., pleaded guilty to a federal assault charge.
Gustina was arrested on October 23, 2013, on a criminal complaint charging him with assault resulting in serious bodily injury and aggravated sexual abuse. He was indicted on January 19, 2013, and charged with assault resulting in serious bodily injury and abusive sexual contact.
According to court filings, Gustina assaulted the victim, a 16-year-old Navajo girl, and attempted to rape her on August 21, 2013, in Shiprock, N.M. The victim suffered severe bruising, swelling, and a fractured cheekbone as a result of the assault.
In entering his guilty plea, Gustina admitted assaulting the victim on August 21, 2013. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison at sentencing.
Gustina has been in federal custody since his arrest and remains detained pending his sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled. The case was investigated by the Farmington office of the FBI and the Shiprock office of the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul H. Spiers.
The case was brought pursuant to the Tribal Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (Tribal SAUSA) Pilot Project in the District of New Mexico, which is sponsored by the Justice Department’s Office on Violence Against Women under a grant administered by the Pueblo of Laguna.
The Tribal SAUSA Pilot Project seeks to train tribal prosecutors in federal law, procedure, and investigative techniques to increase the likelihood that every viable violent offense against Native women is prosecuted in either federal court or tribal court, or both.
Related Federal Cases
- Jason K. Thompson, Assault by Strangulation and Assault with a Deadly Weapon, New Mexico 2025 · Texas
- Preston Marmolejo, Assault with a Dangerous Weapon, New Mexico 2013 · New Mexico
- Terrence Fred Cachini, Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury, New Mexico 2015 · New Mexico
- Henderson Castillo, Assault with a Dangerous Weapon with Intent to Do Bodily Harm, New Mexico 2015 · Puerto Rico
- Chelsey A. Billy, Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury, New Mexico 2016 · Colorado
Key Facts
- State: New Mexico
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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