Navajo Nation member pleads guilty to sexual abuse of a minor in Indian Country

            ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Jeremiah Elijah Jim, 31, of Teec Nos Pos, Arizona, and an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, pleaded guilty in federal court on April 5, to an information charging him with aggravated sexual abuse of a minor in Indian Country. 

            In his plea agreement, Jim admitted that on or about June 3, 2019, he threatened John Doe, a child younger than 16, with serious bodily injury and sexually abused him. The abuse took place in Shiprock, New Mexico, on the Navajo Nation.

            Jim is currently in custody pending sentencing, which has not yet been scheduled. By the terms of the plea agreement, Jim faces between 14 and 24 years in prison.

            Jim’s co-defendant, Bryan Bull, remains in custody pending trial, which is currently scheduled for May 10, 2021. According to the indictment, filed on Sept. 10, 2020, Bull and Jim were charged with four counts of aggravated sexual abuse and two counts of abusive sexual contact.

            The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer M. Rozzoni is prosecuting the case.