Navajo Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Rape Offense

ALBUQUERQUE—United States Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales announced that earlier today, Derrick Ivan Jim, 28, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, pled guilty to aggravated sexual abuse before Chief United States Magistrate Judge Richard L. Puglisi under a plea agreement with the United States Attorney’s Office. Under the terms of the plea agreement, Jim will be sentenced to a prison term of at least 151 months (12.5 years) but not more than 188 months (15.6 years), to be followed by a minimum five-year term of supervised release. Jim also will be required to register as a sex offender. Jim was remanded into the custody of the United States Marshals Service after he entered his guilty plea.

According to the criminal complaint filed in the case, on the evening of August 12, 2010, the victim, an adult Navajo woman, had some friends over to her home in Fruitland, New Mexico. Jim, a person previously unknown to the victim, arrived with one of her guests. Witnesses reported that Jim appeared to follow the victim in and out of the residence. At one point in the early morning of August 13, 2010, the victim went into the residence. Witnesses reported that Jim followed the victim into the house and locked the door. Thereafter, Jim dragged the victim into a back bedroom where he forcibly raped her. During the assault, the victim attempted to fight Jim off while yelling out to her friends. After Jim escaped out the back door, the victim alerted her friends. The victim and witnesses reported the sexual assault to the Navajo Nation Department of Public Safety (NNDPS), and thereafter identified Jim as the perpetrator from a photo lineup. Jim was arrested on August 30, 2010 by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

In his plea agreement, Jim admitted that he forcibly raped the victim on the morning of August 13, 2010.

This case was investigated by the FBI and the NNDPS, Shiprock Division and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer M. Rozzoni.