Kewa Pueblo Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Child Sexual Abuse Charge

ALBUQUERQUE—Calvin Tenorio, Sr., 65, a member and resident of Kewa Pueblo, pleaded guilty earlier today to an indictment charging him with abusive sexual contact of minor less than 12 years of age. Tenorio entered his guilty plea without the benefit of any plea agreement.

Tenorio was arrested on January 10, 2013, based on a criminal complaint charging him with abusive sexual contact with a minor and subsequently was indicted on that same charge. According to the indictment, Tenorio sexually assaulted a child who had not attained the age of 12 years on November 28, 2012, by touching the child’s clothed genitals.

Court records reflect that a member of the child’s family reported the sexual assault to Kewa Pueblo officials on November 28, 2012, and the Pueblo officials promptly referred the report to the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), Office of Justice Services, Southern Pueblos Agency, for investigation. After preliminary investigation, the BIA arrested Tenorio on tribal charges and he remained in tribal custody until his arrest on this federal case and referred the matter to the FBI for further investigation.

Today, Tenorio entered a guilty plea to the indictment and admitted sexually assaulting a child less than 12 years of age in a residence located in Kewa Pueblo. Tenorio remains in custody pending his sentencing hearing which has yet to be scheduled. Tenorio faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, followed by up to five years of supervised release. He also will be required to register as a sex offender.

This case was investigated by the Albuquerque and Santa Fe offices of the FBI and the Southern Pueblos Agency of the BIA, Office of Justice Services, and it is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elaine Y. Ramirez.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and DOJ’s Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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 http://www.justice.gov/psc/.