ALBUQUERQUE – Orlando Harvey, 24, a Bloomfield, N.M., resident and member of the Navajo Nation, has pleaded guilty to federal statutory rape charges. Harvey was arrested in December 2014 on four counts of sexual abuse against a minor under 16 years old, allegations stemming from incidents that occurred between August and October 2014 on the San Juan County Reservation.
The defendant admitted to engaging in a sexual act with the 15-year-old victim, picking her up from school and driving her to his residence. Harvey acknowledged manipulating the child into the encounter before returning her to school. The hearing saw him plead guilty to one count of the indictment, facing a maximum sentence of 15 years in federal prison.
Harvey remains detained awaiting sentencing, which has yet to be scheduled. Investigated by the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety’s Shiprock office, the case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a DOJ initiative targeting child sexual exploitation and abuse.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Raquel Ruiz Velez and Elaine Ramirez are prosecuting this case. For more information on Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc/.
Stay tuned to Grimy Times for updates on Harvey’s sentencing hearing.
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Key Facts
- State: New Mexico
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Sex Crimes|Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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