WOMAN FROM LAGUNA PUEBLO SENTENCED TO 18 MONTHS IN FEDERAL PRISON FOR ARMED ROBBERY IN INDIAN COUNTRY

ALBUQUERQUE – Royce Aragon, 33, of Laguna Pueblo, N.M. was sentenced in federal court today to 18 months in prison for interference with interstate commerce by robbery and violence.     

Aragon previously pleaded guilty to this offense on February 6, 2019.  In her plea agreement, she admitted going to the Casa Blanca Travel Center on Laguna Pueblo on December 30, 2016.  Aragon kept watch at the front of the store while another person intimidated store clerks and stole money from a cash register.  Aragon then followed the other person out of the store and stayed at a hotel with the other person that night.   The robbery caused the travel center to close for several hours, preventing interstate travelers from purchasing gasoline and other items. 

Aragon is an enrolled member of Laguna Pueblo.  A co-defendant in this case, Cruz Abieta, received a prison sentence of 84 months on August 17, 2018.      

The Bureau of Indian Affairs investigated this case with the Laguna Pueblo Police Department.   Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael D. Murphy prosecuted the case.