Taos Pueblo Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Assault Conviction

ALBUQUERQUE – Nathan Mondragon, 29, a member and resident of Taos Pueblo, N.M., was sentenced this afternoon in Albuquerque, N.M., to 84 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release for his assault conviction.

Mondragon was arrested on Sept. 23, 2014, on a criminal complaint charging him with assault with a deadly weapon and assault resulting in serious bodily injury.  According to the complaint, Mondragon assaulted another Taos Pueblo member on Sept. 14, 2014, in Taos County, N.M., on land owned by Taos Pueblo.  The complaint alleges that Mondragon stabbed the victim multiple times before fleeing the crime scene.  Mondragon was subsequently indicted on Oct. 21, 2014, and charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and assault resulting in serious bodily injury.

On Dec. 23, 2014, Mondragon pled guilty to an assault resulting in serious bodily injury charge.  Mondragon admitted that on Sept. 14, 2014, he assaulted the victim by stabbing him with a knife at a location within Taos Pueblo.

 This case was investigated by the Northern Pueblos Agency of the BIA’s Office of Justice Services and the Taos Pueblo Tribal Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney David Adams prosecuted the case.