Fort Defiance Man Sentenced to More Than 7 Years in Prison for Sexually Abusing Teenager

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Earlier this month, Ernest Larry Tabaha, 65, of Fort Defiance, AZ, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Steven P. Logan to 87 months in prison, followed by 180 months of supervised release. Tabaha previously pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a teenager on the Navajo Nation. 

In 2024, Tabaha provided alcohol to a teenaged girl until she became highly intoxicated and passed out. Tabaha then engaged in a sexual act with the victim while she was unconscious. Tabaha is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation. 

The FBI Phoenix Division’s Flagstaff office and the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety conducted the investigation. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.

CASE NUMBER:            CR-25-8028-PCT-SPL
RELEASE NUMBER:    2026-106_Tabaha

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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
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