Pinehill Man Pleads Guilty to Sexually Abusing Two Minors

ALBUQUERQUE – A Pinehill man pleaded guilty to federal charges for sexually abusing two minors over a seven-year period. 

According to court documents, between February 2017 and April 2022, TJ James, 42, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, sexually abused Jane Doe 1, a minor, and placed her in fear. Additionally, between October 2019, and January 2023, James sexually abused another victim, Jane Doe 2, a minor, and also placed her in fear. 

James pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual abuse. At sentencing, James faces up to life in prison, to be followed by no less than five years of supervised release.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Special Agent in Charge Justin A. Garris of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office made the announcement today.

The Gallup Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with the assistance of the Ramah-Navajo Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Mondragon is prosecuting the case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.