Laguna Pueblo Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Statutory Rape Charge

ALBUQUERQUE – Quentin DeLoris, 23, an enrolled member of the Laguna Pueblo who resides in Mesita Laguna, N.M., pled guilty today in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to a statutory rape charge.  Under the terms of his plea agreement, DeLoris will be sentenced to 15 months in federal prison followed by a term of supervised release to be determined by the court.  DeLoris will also be required to register as a sex offender.

During today’s proceedings, DeLoris pled guilty to a felony information charging him with committing statutory rape on Dec. 25, 2016, on the Pueblo of Laguna in Cibola County, N.M.  In entering the guilty plea, DeLoris admitted that on Dec. 25, 2016, he engaged in a sexual act with the victim who was between the age of 12 and 16 years.  DeLoris’s sentencing hearing has yet to be scheduled.

This case was investigated by the Laguna/Acoma Agency of the BIA Office of Justice Services.  Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Lucy B. Solimon is prosecuting the case pursuant to the Tribal Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (Tribal SAUSA) Pilot Project in the District of New Mexico, which is sponsored by the Justice Department’s Office on Violence Against Women under a grant administered by the Pueblo of Laguna.  The Tribal SAUSA Pilot Project seeks to train tribal prosecutors in federal law, procedure and investigative techniques to increase the likelihood that every viable violent offense against Native women is prosecuted in either federal court or tribal court, or both.  The Tribal SAUSA Pilot Project was largely driven by input gathered from annual tribal consultations on violence against women, and is another step in the Justice Department's on-going efforts to increase engagement, coordination and action on public safety in tribal communities.