Taos Pueblo Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Assault Charge

ALBUQUERQUE – Phillip Martinez, Jr., 59, a member and resident of Taos Pueblo, pleaded guilty this afternoon to a felony information charging him with assault resulting in serious bodily injury.

Martinez was arrested in Oct. 2013, on an indictment charging him with assault with a dangerous weapon.  According to the indictment, Martinez assaulted another Taos Pueblo man with a stick in the Pueblo of Taos on April 29, 2013.

In entering his guilty plea, Martinez acknowledged that the victim suffered serious bodily injury as a result of the assault.  Martinez faces a statutory maximum penalty of ten years in federal prison when he is sentenced.  His sentencing hearing has yet to be scheduled.

This case was investigated by the Northern Pueblos Agency of the BIA’s Office of Justice Services and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elaine Y. Ramirez.