Shiprock Man Charged with Federal Firearms Offense

ALBUQUERQUE – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, announced that Crandall Craig Martin was arraigned today in federal court on an indictment charging him with being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm. Martin, 40, of Shiprock, and an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, will remain in custody pending trial in this case.

According to the indictment, on August 10, 2022, Martin possessed a firearm knowing that he had been previously convicted of both felony offenses and a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence. The government alleges that Martin stole a shotgun from the Navajo Nation Police Department evidence locker intending to exchange it for alcohol. Martin was apprehended without incident by Navajo Nation Police shortly after taking the shotgun.

An indictment is only an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, Martin faces up to 10 years in prison and up to three years of supervised release thereafter.

The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Police Department and Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Jones is prosecuting the case.

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