Navajo Man from Newcomb Sentenced to Ten Years for Discharging a Firearm During a Crime of Violence

ALBUQUERQUE – Eli Hunt, 37, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation who resides in Newcomb, N.M., was sentenced today in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to 120 months in prison for discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.  Hunt will be on supervised release for three years after completing his prison sentence.

Hunt was arrested in Dec. 2015, on a criminal complaint charging him with assault with a dangerous weapon, discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, and burglary.  The complaint alleged that he committed the crimes on Dec. 3, 2015, on the Navajo Indian Reservation in San Juan County, N.M.  According to the complaint, Hunt broke into a home in Little Water, N.M., and threatened a man and woman who lived there with a tire iron and a firearm.  Hunt also fired shots into the air as he chased the victims around their residence and property while threatening to kill them. 

Hunt was subsequently indicted on Dec. 17, 2015, and was charged with aggravated burglary, assault with a dangerous weapon, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.

On May 24, 2016, Hunt pled guilty to Count 3 of the indictment charging him with discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.  In entering his plea, Hunt admitted discharging a firearm while assaulting a person with a deadly weapon. 

This case was investigated by the Farmington office of the FBI and the Shiprock office of the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Niki Tapia-Brito prosecuted the case.