Non-Indian Man from Albuquerque Charged with Assaulting Federally Commissioned Tribal Officer

ALBUQUERQUE – This morning a U.S. Magistrate Judge sitting in Albuquerque, N.M., found probable cause to support a criminal complaint charging Vincent P. Luciani, 25, a non-Indian man from Albuquerque, with assaulting a federal officer. Luciani was released pending trial under pretrial supervision and other conditions of release, including the condition that he reside in a halfway house.

Luciani was arrested on July 3, 2017, and was charged by criminal complaint with assaulting an officer of the Pueblo of Laguna Tribal Police Department, who is commissioned as a Special Law Enforcement Officer by the BIA’s Office of Justice Services. According to the complaint, Luciani allegedly assaulted the officer by threatening the officer with a firearm following a routine traffic stop. Luciani allegedly committed the offense on June 30, 2017, on Laguna Pueblo in Cibola County, N.M.

If convicted of the charge in the complaint, Luciani faces a maximum penalty of eight years in federal prison. Charges in criminal complaints are merely accusations. All criminal defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case was investigated by the Pueblo of Laguna Tribal Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Raquel Ruiz-Velez.