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Press Release

Man from Mescalero pleads guilty to federal assault in Indian Country

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of New Mexico

ALBUQERQUE, N.M. – Romeo Martinez, 23, of Mescalero, New Mexico, pleaded guilty in federal court on Jan. 25 to assault resulting in serious bodily injury in Indian Country. Martinez will remain in custody pending sentencing, which has not been scheduled.

According to the plea agreement and other court documents, on June 29, 2021, Martinez, who is not a member of the Mescalero Apache Tribe or any other federally recognized tribe, arrived at his grandmother’s residence and assaulted a victim, identified in court records as “M.B.,” on the Mescalero Apache Reservation. Martinez accused his grandmother and M.B., who is an enrolled member of the Mescalero Apache Tribe, of having his vehicle towed, and began to scream at them. Martinez attacked M.B., hitting her face multiple times and causing a laceration to her forehead and a broken nose and septum. As a result of Martinez’s assault, the victim required medical treatment and surgery.

The Las Cruces Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office and the Bureau of Indian Affairs investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matilda McCarthy Villalobos is prosecuting the case.

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Updated January 26, 2022

Topics
Indian Country Law and Justice
Violent Crime
Press Release Number: 22-13