Leonard Lewis, Sexual Abuse of a Minor, New Mexico 2021

A Navajo man has been indicted for the sexual abuse of a minor in Indian Country, New Mexico.

Leonard Lewis, 65, of Shiprock, New Mexico, and an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, has been charged with sexual abuse of a minor in Indian Country.

According to the indictment, Lewis allegedly sexually abused a child, identified as Jane Doe, between March 1, 2021, and April 30, 2021, on the Navajo Nation in San Juan County, New Mexico.

The alleged abuse occurred over a period of approximately two months, with the exact dates of the abuse not specified in the indictment.

Lewis was arraigned on the indictment on May 25, 2021, and will remain in custody pending space at a halfway house, after which he will remain on conditions of release pending trial, which has not been scheduled.

An indictment is only an allegation, and Lewis is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

If convicted, Lewis faces up to 15 years in prison.

The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Department of Criminal Investigation and Navajo Police Department.

Special Assistant United States Attorney Chelsea N. Van Deventer is prosecuting the case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the DOJ to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.

Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.

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