Patrick Begay, Abusive Sexual Contact, New Mexico 2016

ALBUQUERQUE – A shocking case of child sexual abuse has come to light in New Mexico, where a 43-year-old man has pleaded guilty to an abusive sexual contact charge.

Patrick Begay, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation who resides in Churchrock, N.M., entered a guilty plea in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., on Abusive Sexual Contact with a child under the age of 12.

According to the indictment, Begay committed the offenses on the Navajo Indian Reservation in McKinley County, N.M., between November 2013 and December 2015, with the most recent incident occurring on January 6, 2016.

The victim, who was just seven years old when the abuse began, was only nine years old when Begay engaged in the most recent incident of abuse.

As part of his plea agreement, Begay will be sentenced to between 144 to 216 months in federal prison, followed by a term of supervised release to be determined by the court. He will also be required to register as a sex offender.

Begay remains in custody pending a sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled. The case was investigated by the Gallup office of the FBI and the Navajo Nation Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Marshall is prosecuting this 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.

For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.

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