Zuni Pueblo Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Child Sex Assault Offense

ALBUQUERQUE—United States Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales announced that, this morning in federal court, Epfreim Louis, 20, an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Zuni, pled guilty to an information charging him with aggravated sexual abuse under a plea agreement with the United States Attorney’s Office. Under the terms of the plea agreement, Louis will be sentenced to a 10-year term of imprisonment to be followed by at least five years of supervised release. Louis also will be required to register as a sex offender when he completes his prison sentence. Louis has been in federal custody since his arrest on July 21, 2010, and will remain detained pending his sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled.

According to the criminal complaint filed in the case, in May 2010, the Navajo Nation Division of Social Service alerted the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) that a Navajo child under the age of 12 was being sexually abused by Louis, her uncle. Subsequent investigation revealed that Louis had been sexually abusing the child for at least two years, and Louis admitted molesting the child during two separate interviews with FBI agents and Navajo Nation Department of Public Safety (NNDPS) officers.

In his plea agreement, Louis acknowledged that he had sexual contact with the child for approximately two-and-a-half to three years. Louis further admitted that the sexual contact included vaginal as well as digital penetration.

This case was investigated by the FBI and the NNDPS, Shiprock Division, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kimberly Brawley.