Source: Office of United States Attorneys
ALBUQUERQUE – A Nageezi man has been charged with sexual abuse and abusive sexual contact in Indian Country.
Patrick Wayne Platero, 46, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, appeared before a federal judge and will remain in the third-party custody of La Pasada halfway house pending trial, which has not been scheduled.
According to the indictment, between on or about January 1, 2024, and on or about April 30, 2024, Platero allegedly sexually abused and engaged in abusive sexual contact with Jane Doe.
If convicted, Platero faces up to life in prison followed by not less than five years and up to life on supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Department of Investigation and Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Meg Tomlinson is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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