Julius H. Willie Gets 21 Years for Navajo Nation Sexual Abuse

Julius H. Willie, 31, a Navajo Nation member from Standing Rock, N.M., was slammed with a 21-year federal prison sentence today in Albuquerque for aggravated sexual abuse. The conviction stems from a violent attack on August 26, 2012, committed on the Navajo Indian Reservation in McKinley County. Willie will serve his full term without credit for the four years already spent in state custody on related charges.

Willie entered a guilty plea on June 9, 2016, admitting he forced the victim to engage in a sexual act during the assault. The crime was part of a five-count indictment handed down in April 2014, charging Willie with kidnapping, three counts of aggravated sexual abuse, and abusive sexual contact. He was transferred to federal custody on April 24, 2014, after two years in state detention.

The sentence, announced by U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez, includes a lifetime of supervised release. Upon release, Willie will be required to register as a sex offender. Prosecutors emphasized the brutality of the crime and the need for long-term monitoring given the severity of the offense and its impact on the victim and community.

The case was investigated by the Crownpoint office of the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety, the Gallup FBI field office, and the Gallup Police Department, with support from the 11th Judicial District Attorney’s Office. Special Agent in Charge Terry Wade of the FBI’s Albuquerque Division, Director Jesse Delmar of the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety, and Chief Robert Cron of the Gallup Police Department all confirmed the collaborative push for justice.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Novaline D. Wilson and Kyle T. Nayback handled the prosecution under the Tribal Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (Tribal SAUSA) Pilot Project in the District of New Mexico. The initiative, funded by the Justice Department’s Office on Violence Against Women and administered by the Pueblo of Laguna, trains tribal prosecutors to handle federal violent crime cases, especially those targeting Native American women.

With Willie’s federal sentence now in motion, the 11th Judicial District Attorney’s Office plans to proceed with pending state charges. The case underscores federal and tribal efforts to close jurisdictional gaps and ensure accountability in violent crimes committed on tribal lands—where justice too often arrives late, if at all.