Pinon Man Sentenced to Six Years’ Prison for Assaulting Navajo Nation Police Officer

     PHOENIX – Yesterday, Lambert Ten Hosteen, 30, of Pinon, Ariz., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge G. Murray Snow to 6 years’ imprisonment.  Hosteen had previously pleaded guilty to assault on a federal officer with a dangerous weapon.

     On May 17, 2017, officers of the Navajo Nation Police Department were contacted with reports that Hosteen was firing a shotgun and fighting with another person in the area of Pinon, Ariz.  When officers arrived, Hosteen pointed the loaded weapon at them and threatened several times to shoot them.  In response, one officer fired at Hosteen, striking him in the hand.  After Hosteen was taken into custody, officers discovered that the shotgun was a homemade destructive device, which is illegal to possess under the National Firearms Act.  Hosteen and the officers are all members of the Navajo Nation, and the offense occurred on the Navajo Nation Indian Reservation.

     The investigation was conducted by agents of both the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).  The prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney William G. Voit, District of Arizona, Phoenix.

CASE NUMBER:           CR 17-08195-GMS

RELEASE NUMBER:    2018-053_ Hosteen

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