Thursday, December 31, 2020
In
United States v. Denezpi, 979 F.3d 777 (10th Cir. 2020), Denezpi, a Navajo tribal member, was arrested by Ute Mountain Ute tribal authorities and charged with violating the Tribe’s assault and battery laws, as well as two provisions of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) on terroristic threats and false imprisonment. He entered an Alford plea to the assault and battery charge and was released from custody for time served. Six months later, federal prosecutors indicted Denezpi for aggravated sexual assault in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 2241(A)(1)-(2) & 1153(a). The court denied Mr. Denezpi’s motion to dismiss the indictment on