Laguna Man Charged with Kidnapping, Assault in Indian Country

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, announced today that Bret Anthony Vallo was arraigned on an indictment charging him with kidnapping, assault of an intimate partner by strangling, and assault with a dangerous weapon. Vallo, 31, of Laguna, and a member of the Laguna Pueblo Tribal, will remain on conditions of release pending trial, which has not been scheduled.

A federal grand jury indicted Vallo on June 15, 2022. According to the indictment and other court records, on March 21, 2019, kidnapped his intimate partner, identified as Jane Doe, by unlawfully confining her. On May 30, 2019, Vallo assaulted Doe by strangling and suffocating her, then, between July 1 and July 15, 2019, Vallo assault Doe with a dangerous weapon, specifically, a metal bar, with the intent to cause her bodily harm.

An indictment is only an allegation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, Vallo faces 151 months in prison.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs investigated this case with assistance from the Pueblo of Acoma Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Robert James Booth II is prosecuting the case.