Navajo Man from Arizona Sentenced for Federal Misdemeanor Assault Conviction in New Mexico

ALBUQUERQUE – Calvin Fuson, 44, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation who resides in Winslow, Ariz., was sentenced this morning in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to 345 days or time served in federal prison for his misdemeanor assault conviction.

Fuson was arrested on April 17, 2014, on a criminal complaint alleging that on Dec. 25, 2013, he assaulted a Navajo man by stabbing him with a knife.  According to the complaint, officers of the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety responded to a call reporting a stabbing that occurred in Naschitti, N.M., which is located on the Navajo Indian Reservation.  The victim was treated for a stab wound.  Fuson subsequently was indicted and charged with assault resulting in serious bodily injury and assault with a dangerous weapon.

On Feb. 12, 2015, Fuson pled guilty to a misdemeanor information charging him with assault by striking, beating or wounding.  In entering his guilty plea, Fuson admitted that on Dec. 25, 2013, while at his family’s residence in Naschitti, he stabbed the victim, a 50-year-old Navajo man, with a knife during a fight.  Both Fuson and the victim required medical treatment for injuries he sustained during the fight.

This case was investigated by the Farmington office of the FBI and the Shiprock office of the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul H. Spiers.