Taos Pueblo Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Assault Charge

ALBUQUERQUE – Nathan Mondragon, 28, a member and resident of Taos Pueblo, N.M., pleaded guilty this morning to an indictment charging him with an assault resulting in serious bodily injury.   The guilty plea was entered under a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Mondragon was arrested on Sept. 23, 2014, on a criminal complaint charging him with assault with a deadly weapon and assault resulting in serious bodily injury.  According to the complaint, Mondragon assaulted another Taos Pueblo member on Sept. 14, 2014, in Taos County, N.M., on land owned by the Taos Pueblo Indian Tribe.  The complaint alleges that Mondragon stabbed the victim multiple times before fleeing the crime scene.  Mondragon was apprehended on Sept. 14, 2014, by New Mexico State Police and held in tribal custody until his arrest on federal charges. 

On Oct. 21, 2014, Mondragon was indicted and charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and assault resulting in serious bodily injury.

During today’s proceedings, Mondragon entered a guilty plea to Count 2 of the indictment charging him with assault resulting in serious bodily injury.  Mondragon admitted that on Sept. 14, 2014, he assaulted the victim by stabbing him with a knife at a location within Taos Pueblo.

At sentencing Mondragon faces a statutory maximum penalty of ten years in federal prison. He remains in federal custody pending his sentencing hearing which has yet to be scheduled.

This case was investigated by the Northern Pueblos Agency of the BIA’s Office of Justice Services and the Taos Pueblo Tribal Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney David Adams is prosecuting this case.