NAVAJO MAN SENTENCED TO FIVE YEARS OF SUPERVISED RELEASE FOR FAILING TO UPDATE SEX OFFENDER REGISTRATION

ALBUQUERQUE – Alton Jay Cowboy, 50, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation who resides in Las Cruces, N.M., was sentenced today in federal court in Santa Fe, N.M., for his conviction for violating the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).  Cowboy was sentenced to six-days of time already served in custody followed by five years of supervised release with special conditions, which include that he reside in a halfway house for up to 90-days; register as a sex offender, and have no contact with minor children. 

SORNA, also known as the Adam Walsh Protection and Safety Act, requires that a convicted sex offender register in each jurisdiction where the offender resides, where the offender is employed, or where the offender is a student, and that the sex offender maintain current registrations.

Cowboy was charged by indictment on Feb. 27, 2018, with violating SORNA by failing to update his sex offender registration from April 4, 2017 through Dec. 27, 2017, in Bernalillo County, N.M.  On April 5, 2018, Cowboy pled guilty to the indictment without the benefit of a plea agreement.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Raquel Ruiz-Velez.