Zuni Pueblo Member Pleads Guilty to Child Abuse

ALBUQUERQUE – A dark chapter in the small town of Blackrock, New Mexico, has come to light as Vernon Niiha, 51, a member of Zuni Pueblo, entered a guilty plea today for sexually abusing a child under the age of 12. The heinous act, which spanned from March 2002 to March 2003 in McKinley County, is now facing justice.

The defendant, Niiha, faces a prison term between 36 and 48 months as part of his plea agreement, with an additional supervised release term yet to be determined by the court. A mandatory sex offender registration awaits him upon release.

Arrested in August 2013, Niiha has been confined under U.S. Marshals Service custody since, and remains detained pending his sentencing hearing. The hearing’s date remains unscheduled.

In today’s proceeding, Niiha admitted to the felony charge of abusive sexual contact by confessing to the explicit touching of the victim’s genitalia. His plea deal concludes a case meticulously investigated by the Albuquerque office of the FBI and Zuni Pueblo Tribal Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle T. Nayback is prosecuting this matter under Project Safe Childhood, a justice department initiative since 2006 combating child sexual exploitation and abuse. This national effort leverages federal, state, and local resources to hunt down predators online and offline, rescue victims, and bring them to justice.

For more information on Project Safe Childhood, visit this link.