Mescalero Apache Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Assault Conviction

ALBUQUERQUE – Sheridan Gerard Lester, 24 was sentenced in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M., this afternoon to 21 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release for his assault conviction.

Lester, a member of the Mescalero Apache Nation who resides in Mescalero, N.M., was arrested in Aug. 2013, on a criminal complaint alleging assault with a dangerous weapon and assault resulting in serious bodily injury.  On Jan. 28, 2014, Lester entered a guilty plea to a felony information charging him with assault resulting in serious bodily injury and admitted assaulting another Mescalero Apache man on Nov. 27, 2012, at a location within the Mescalero Apache Reservation.

According to court filings, Lester assaulted the victim on Nov. 27, 2012, at Lester’s residence, which is located within the Mescalero Apache Reservation.  Lester was intoxicated when he began quarreling with the victim and began attacking the victim with his fists.  In entering his guilty plea, Lester admitted intentionally striking the victim about the body and in the face, causing the victim to suffer serious injuries.

Lester was in tribal custody for 302 days based on a tribal conviction related to the assault charged in the federal case before he was transferred to federal custody.  Lester will receive credit for the 302 days spent in tribal custody.

This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron O. Jordan of the U .S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office.