Navajo Man from Shiprock Sentenced for Assaulting Federal Officer

ALBUQUERQUE – Larry Lee Emerson, Jr., 36, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation who resides in Shiprock, N.M., was sentenced today in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to 37 months in prison for assaulting a federal officer. Emerson will be on supervised release for three years after completing his prison sentence.

Emerson was arrested in Aug. 2016, on a criminal complaint charging him with assaulting a Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) officer on July 6, 2016, in San Juan County, N.M. Emerson assaulted the officer while the officer was attempting to arrest him.

Emerson was indicted on Aug. 23, 2016, and charged with assaulting a federal officer who was engaged in the performance of his official duties. On Nov. 28, 2016, Emerson pled guilty to the indictment without the benefit of a plea agreement.

This case was investigated by the Farmington office of the FBI and the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elaine Y. Ramirez prosecuted the case.