Laguna Pueblo Man Gets 10 Years for Brutal Assault

ALBUQUERQUE, NM – Preston Marmolejo, 32, a resident of Laguna Pueblo, will spend the next decade in federal prison after being sentenced today for a vicious assault on a woman and a federally commissioned tribal police officer. The sentence, handed down in federal court, includes 120 months of incarceration followed by three years of supervised release.

The case stems from a November 29, 2013, domestic violence call. Laguna Pueblo Police Department officers responded to reports of Marmolejo assaulting his girlfriend with a knife. Upon arrival at Marmolejo’s residence, officers found him armed with a shotgun, immediately escalating the situation.

Marmolejo brazenly ignored commands to drop the weapon, instead opening fire on the responding officers. One officer, federally commissioned by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), sustained injuries in the shooting. Marmolejo was arrested on December 2, 2013, initially charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and assault on a federal officer.

A four-count indictment followed, leveling charges of assault with a dangerous weapon, assault resulting in serious bodily injury, assaulting a federal officer, and using a firearm during a crime of violence. On August 19, 2014, Marmolejo pleaded guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon and assaulting a federal officer, admitting to both the attack on the woman with a knife and the shooting at the tribal officer with a shotgun.

The investigation was a collaborative effort between the FBI’s Albuquerque Division, the BIA’s Office of Justice Services (Laguna/Acoma Agency), and the Pueblo of Laguna Tribal Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elaine Y. Ramirez prosecuted the case. U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez, Special Agent in Charge Carol K.O. Lee, Special Agent in Charge William McClure, and Chief Herman D. Silva all announced the sentencing.

This prosecution was facilitated by the Tribal Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (Tribal SAUSA) Pilot Project, a Justice Department initiative focused on increasing prosecution of violent crimes against Native women. Funded by the Office on Violence Against Women, the project trains tribal prosecutors in federal law and procedures, aiming to ensure that all viable cases are pursued in federal or tribal court – or both. The program, born from annual tribal consultations, represents a sustained effort to bolster public safety within tribal communities.