Ramah Navajo Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Assault Charge

ALBUQUERQUE—This morning in federal court in Albuquerque, Kerley K. Biggs, 22, entered a guilty plea to a federal assault with a deadly weapon charge under a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Biggs, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation who resides in Ramah, N.M., faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. Biggs has been in federal custody since his arrest on October 3, 2011, and remains detained pending his sentencing hearing.

U.S. Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales said that Biggs was charged in a two-count indictment that was filed on September 27, 2011. The indictment charged Biggs with (1) assault with a dangerous weapon, and (2) assault resulting in serious bodily injury. According to the indictment, the assault occurred on September 25, 2010 on the Navajo Indian Reservation in Cibola County, N.M.

During today’s hearing, Biggs plead guilty to count one of the indictment. According to the plea agreement, on September 25, 2010, Biggs assaulted another Navajo man by beating him about the head and face with a metal expandable baton at Biggs’ residence in Ramah, N.M., As a result of the assault, the victim required medical treatment for numerous injuries to his head, left cheek, and left eye. The victim sustained a significant wound to the back of his head that required 12 staples to repair.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Navajo Nation Department of Public Safety, Ramah Navajo Division, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul H. Spiers.