Red Lake Man Indicted for Assaulting a Woman

MINNEAPOLIS—Yesterday in federal court, a 38-year-old Red Lake man was indicted for the domestic assault of a woman while on the Red Lake Indian Reservation. The indictment charges Jamie Allan Greene, Sr., with one count of assault resulting in serious bodily injury.

The indictment alleges that on August 2, 2011, Greene committed the assault against another Indian. A law enforcement affidavit filed in the case states that because of the assault, the victim’s face was swollen, particularly around her eye, at the time she reported the incident to authorities. She also allegedly stated that Greene grabbed her by the hair and threw her against the wall and then stomped on her face while she lay on the ground.

If convicted, Greene faces a potential maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. All sentences will be determined by a federal district court judge. This case is the result of an investigation by the Red Lake Tribal Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Deidre Y. Aanstad.

Because the Red Lake Indian Reservation is a federal jurisdiction reservation, some of the crimes that occur there are investigated by the FBI in conjunction with the Red Lake Tribal Police Department. Those cases are prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The U.S. Justice Department is taking steps to increase engagement, coordination, and action relative to public safety in tribal communities, including the creation of the Violence Against Women Federal and Tribal Prosecution Task Force. This task force will explore current issues raised by professionals in the field and recommend “best practices” in prosecution strategies involving domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking.

Violence against American Indian women occurs at epidemic rates. In 2005, Congress found that one in three American Indian women is raped during her lifetime, and American Indian women are nearly three times more likely to be battered in during their lives than Caucasian women.

An indictment is a determination by a grand jury that there is probable cause to believe that offenses have been committed by a defendant. A defendant, of course, is presumed innocent until he or she pleads guilty or is proven guilty at trial.