A Sanostee woman pleaded guilty in federal court on Aug. 5 to using a rifle to seriously injure one individual and threaten another during an August 2022 incident.
According to court documents, on August 20, 2022, Leticia Washburn, 42, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, retrieved a rifle during an argument and threatened two individuals with the weapon. During the confrontation, she discharged the rifle, striking one victim in the abdomen and causing serious bodily injury.
Washburn pleaded guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon and using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. At sentencing, she faces no less than seven years and up to life in prison followed by up to five years of supervised release.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement.
The Farmington Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Police Department and Navajo Nation Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Marshall is prosecuting the case.