U.S. Attorney's Office Announces Guilty Plea in Child Sexual Abuse Case

ALBUQUERQUE – A Nevada man pleaded guilty in federal court to sexual abuse involving a child under 12 years old.

According to court documents, between May 16, 2009, and May 15, 2012, Cedric Martinez, 31, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, knowingly engaged in sexual contact with a child under 12 years old at a residence in Upper Fruitland, New Mexico, within the Navajo Nation reservation.

Martinez was taken into custody pending sentencing, which has not yet been scheduled. At sentencing, Martinez faces any term between 18 and 22 years in prison. Upon his release from prison, Martinez will be subject to no less than five years and up to life of supervised release.

U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.

The Farmington Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant United States Attorneys Brittany DuChaussee and Meg Tomlinson are prosecuting the case.

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