Pascua Yaqui Teen Sentenced To 18 Months In Prison For Stabbing Another Man

TUCSON – On Jan. 31, 2013, Michael A. Alvarez-Suarez, 19, of Tucson, Ariz., was sentenced by visiting U.S. District Judge Marvin Aspen to 18 months in a federal prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release.  Alvarez-Suarez pleaded guilty on Nov. 29, 2012, to one count of aggravated assault.  Both the victim and the defendant are members of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, where the altercation took place.

            On Aug. 1, 2011, one week after turning 18, Alvarez-Suarez got into a confrontation with a man.  Alvarez-Suarez pulled out a pocket knife during the encounter and stabbed the victim twice, resulting in non-life-threatening injuries.  Alvarez-Suarez was arrested by Pascua Yaqui police and was prosecuted through the Tribal Court, where he served a 6 month prison sentence for assault.  In the meantime, he was indicted by a federal grand jury for felony aggravated assault and was taken into federal custody on Jan. 25, 2012, immediately after completing his tribal sentence.

The investigation in this case was conducted by the Pascua Yaqui Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Tucson Office.  The prosecution was handled by Micah Schmit, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Tucson.

CASE NUMBER:            CR-12-0114-DCB(DTF)
RELEASE NUMBER:     2013-012 _Alvarez
# # #
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/