Taos Man Sentenced to 9 Years for Kidnapping and Domestic Violence

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, announced today that Richard Mascarenas was sentenced to 9 years in prison. Mascarenas, 38, of Taos Pueblo, and an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Taos, pleaded guilty on Jan. 13 to one count each of kidnapping, assault resulting in serious bodily injury, and assault of an intimate partner by strangling and suffocating. Upon his release from prison, Mascarenas will be subject to 5 years of supervised release.

According to the plea agreement and other court records, over a two-week period from April 17, 2022, to May 4, 2022, Mascarenas assaulted the victim, identified as Jane Doe, and held her against her will at a residence in Taos Pueblo. In his plea, Mascarenas admitted that he would not allow Doe to leave, contact her family, or report the assaults because he did not want anyone to know how severely he had hurt her.  Mascarenas locked Doe within the residence, hid the keys to the vehicles, and kept the gate to the property locked. On May 4, Doe’s brother contacted Taos Police and requested a welfare check, leading police to discover the ongoing kidnapping and assault. As a result of the assault, Doe suffered numerous serious injuries, including a stroke. Despite her injuries, Doe’s prognosis for recovery is good and she is residing with family.

The Santa Fe Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office and the Taos Pueblo Department of Public Safety investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney Alexander F. Flores is prosecuting the case.

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