Whiteriver Man Found Guilty Of Sexual Abuse

            PHOENIX– Christopher James, 37, of Whiteriver, Ariz., was found guilty by a federal jury on Aug. 2, 2013, of two counts of sexual abuse.  The case was tried before U.S. District Judge Neil V. Wake beginning on July 30, 2013.  The defendant is being held pending sentencing which is set for Nov. 4, 2013.

            The evidence at trial showed that on Aug. 3, 2011, on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation, James sexually abused a victim who was physically incapable of communicating an unwillingness to participate in a sex act, as a result of a physical disability, as well as cognitive and developmental delay.

            A conviction for sexual abuse carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment, a $250,000 fine or both.

            The investigation in this case was conducted by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.  The prosecution was handled by Dimitra H. Sampson and Christina Reid-Moore, Assistant U.S. Attorneys, District of Arizona, Phoenix.

CASE NUMBER:                  CR-2011-8206-PCT-NVW
RELEASE NUMBER:           2013-061_James

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