Zuni Man Receives 120-Month Sentence for Federal Firearms Conviction

ALBUQUERQUE—This afternoon in federal court in Albuquerque, Dan Keith Bobelu, 20, a member of the Pueblo of Zuni, was sentenced to 120 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year term of supervised release for his federal firearms conviction. Bobelu entered a guilty plea to count three of a three-count indictment on January 25, 2011 charging him with using a firearm during a crime of violence, under a plea agreement with the United States Attorney’s Office. At the conclusion of today’s sentencing hearing, the court dismissed the remaining two counts of the indictment, charging Bobelu with two assault offenses, pursuant to the terms of the plea agreement.

United States Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales said that Bobelu was convicted of using a firearm to shoot Kent Banteah, Jr., also a member of the Pueblo of Zuni, on January 1, 2010. On March 1, 2010, Bobelu was arrested on charges in a criminal complaint, and he was indicted on March 24, 2010. Bobelu has remained in federal custody since his arrest.

Court records reflect that, on January 1, 2010, officers of the Pueblo of Zuni Police Department (ZPD) learned about the shooting when called upon to investigate how Mr. Banteah came to be injured. At the time, Mr. Banteah was receiving treatment for a gunshot wound to the upper right arm at the Zuni Indian Hospital (ZIH). Investigation by the ZPD and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) revealed that on the evening of January 1, 2010, Mr. Banteah and another man were driving around the Pueblo of Zuni and came upon a pedestrian later identified at Bobelu who was walking down the middle of the street. When Mr. Banteah’s passenger asked Bobelu to get out of the way, Bobelu responded with profanity, identified himself as a “West Side Crip,” and pulled a firearm from his waistband and fired at Mr. Banteah’s vehicle. The round entered the passenger’s side, rear door window and struck Mr. Banteah in the upper right arm above the triceps. Bobelu ran off while Mr. Banteah and his passenger drove to the ZIH to get medical treatment.

During subsequent investigation, the ZPD recovered the firearm used in the shooting from Bobelu’s brother and the FBI learned that witnesses heard Bobelu admit to shooting Mr. Banteah and saw Bobelu brandishing the firearm used in the shooting. Thereafter, Bobelu was interviewed by the FBI and ZPD. According to the complaint, Bobelu admitted being a member of the “West Side Hustler Crips” and asserted that Mr. Banteah and his passenger were members of a rival gang called the “Money Making Kings.” Bobelu also admitted shooting into Mr. Banteah’s vehicle after Bobelu and Mr. Banteah’s passenger exchanged profanity.

The case was investigated by the FBI and the ZPD and was being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kyle T. Nayback.