Source: Office of United States Attorneys
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, announced that Adrian Dale Tsinnijinnie pleaded guilty in federal court to one count each of production of a visual depiction of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct and coercion and enticement of a minor. Tsinnijinnie, 36, of Fort Riley, Kansas, and an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, will remain in custody pending sentencing, which has not been scheduled.
A federal grand jury indicted Tsinnijinnie on Jan. 25, 2023. According to publicly available court records, between November 2020 and January 2021, while stationed on active duty in the U.S. Army at Fort Riley, Kansas, Tsinnijinnie used Facebook Messenger to contact and groom Jane Doe, a 13-year-old child. Initially, the messages Tsinnijinnie sent to Jane Doe were supportive, but soon Tsinnijinnie began to request nude videos and photos. Tsinnijinnie told the victim that if she didn’t send him photos it would make him sad. Tsinnijinnie continuously pressured Jane Doe until she reluctantly sent him a nude photo. During these interactions, Tsinnijinnie also sent Jane Doe nude photos and videos of himself.
On June 20, 2021, while he was on leave from the U.S. Army, Tsinnijinnie traveled with his family to Shiprock, New Mexico, where Jane Doe lives. During the visit, Tsinnijinnie sexually assaulted Jane Doe on two occasions. Following the second incident, Tsinnijinnie apologized to Jane Doe and asked her to keep quiet about the incident, telling her that discussing the incident with others would “ruin everything.” Tsinnijinnie asked Jane Doe “cross her heart” not to say anything.
On July 5, 2021, Jane Doe disclosed to her father that she had been sexually assaulted by Tsinnijinnie. The victim’s father took her to the San Juan Regional Medical Center where she underwent a Sexual Assault Nurse Exam. Following the exam, the victim’s father met with a Navajo Nation Police Officer to make a report.
At sentencing, Tsinnijinnie faces between 15 and 25 years in prison.
The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with the assistance of the Navajo Police Department and Department of Criminal Investigation. Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew J. McGinley and Natasha Moghadam are prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, 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. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.
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