Tohajiilee Man Sentened to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Child Sex Abuse Conviction

ALBUQUERQUE—Nathan R. Platero, 41, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation who resides in Tohajiilee, New Mexico, was sentenced this morning to 10 years in federal prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release, for his child sex abuse conviction. Platero will be required to register as a sex offender after he completes his prison sentence.

Platero was arrested in January 2012 on child sex abuse charges. In October 2012, Platero pleaded guilty to a felony information and admitted that, between January 2005 through December 2006, he engaged in and attempted to engage in sexual contact with a child victim who had attained the age of 12 but had not attained the age of 16. Platero further admitted that the sexual contact consisted of the intentional touching of the child victim’s genitals through her clothing. Court records reflect that the offense occurred in Platero’s residence in Tohajiillee, which is on the Navajo Indian Reservation.

This case was investigated by the Albuquerque Division of the FBI and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle T. Nayback 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/.