Shiprock Man Sentenced for Unlawfully Possessing a Shotgun

ALBUQUERQUE – A Shiprock man was sentenced to 78 months in prison for unlawfully possessing a loaded shotgun, which he obtained by stealing and attempting to sell it.

There is no parole in the federal system.

According to court records, on August 10, 2022, Crandall Craig Martin, 42, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, stole a loaded firearm with the intention of trading it for alcohol or money to buy alcohol. As both a previously convicted felon and misdemeanant convicted of a crime of domestic violence, Martin was prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition.

Martin subsequently pleaded guilty to being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm. Upon his release from prison, Martin will be subject to three years of supervised release.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.

The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Police Department and Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary C. Jones is prosecuting the case.