Gila River Man Sentenced To Over 15 Years

PHOENIX – On Aug. 25, 2014, Curtis Ray Manuel, 23, of Bapchule, Ariz., a member of the Gila River Indian Community, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge G. Murray Snowto 187 months in prison to be followed by lifetime supervised release. Manuel pleaded guilty on June 11, 2014, to abusive sexual contact of a minor

            This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice.  Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

The investigation in this case was conducted by the Gila River Police Department. The prosecution was handled by Raynette Logan, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Phoenix.

CASE NUMBER:           CR-14-00065-PHX-GMS 
RELEASE NUMBER:   2014-049_Manuel