Isleta Pueblo Man Sentenced for Assaulting Federal Officer

ALBUQUERQUE – Ben E. Aragon, 26, an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Isleta who resides in Bosque Farms, N.M., was sentenced today in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to 12 months in prison for assaulting a federal officer. Aragon will be on supervised release for three years after he completes his prison sentence.

Aragon was charged by criminal complaint on July 28, 2016, with assaulting an officer of the Isleta Pueblo Tribal Police Department, who is commissioned as a Special Law Enforcement Officer by the BIA’s Office of Justice Services. According to the complaint, Aragon assaulted the officer while he was attempting to arrest Aragon on tribal charges of aggravated assault and criminal trespass, and an outstanding tribal arrest warrant.

Aragon was indicted on Sept. 13, 2016, and charged with assaulting a federal officer who was engaged in the performance of her official duties on July 23, 2016, on the Isleta Pueblo in Bernalillo County, N.M. Aragon pled guilty to the indictment on July 5, 2017, without the benefit of a plea agreement.

This case was investigated by the Isleta Pueblo Tribal Police Department and the Northern Pueblos Agency of the BIA’s Office of Justice Services and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Raquel Ruiz-Velez.