ALBUQUERQUE - Maurice Antonio, 34, a member of Acoma Pueblo who resides in Acomita, N.M., was sentenced yesterday to time-served, a total of 410 days in federal and tribal custody, for failure to update his sex offender registration. Antonio will be on supervised release for five years.
Antonio was arrested on Jan. 25, 2013, on an indictment charging him with failing to update his sex offender registration as required by the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). Antonio has been in federal custody since that time. SORNA, also known as the Adam Walsh Protection and Safety Act, requires that a convicted sex offender register in each jurisdiction where the offender resides, where the offender is employed, and/or where the offender is a student, and that the sex offender maintain current registrations.
"Investigating and assisting with the prosecution of the non-compliant and unregistered sex offenders is a primary responsibility of the United States Marshals Service, which contributes to the overall safety and welfare of New Mexico’s many communities," said U.S. Marshal Conrad E. Candelaria. "The Marshals Service will continue to serve as a facilitator of inter-agency cooperation with local, county, state, tribal and federal law enforcement agencies, working collaboratively so that are children can live and play without fear."
According to court filings, Antonio was convicted of a child sexual abuse offense in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico in 2002, and sentenced to five years of probation. As a condition of his probation, Antonio was required to register as a sex offender in the sheriff’s office in his county of residence and to update his registration every 90 days thereafter.
In Oct. 2012, the Pueblo of Laguna Police Department arrested Antonio for violating SORNA after receiving information that he was residing on the Pueblo of Laguna for an extended period without notifying the Pueblo. Subsequent investigation revealed that Antonio had not registered with Pueblo of Laguna or renewed his registration with the Cibola County Sheriff’s Office. Antonio was transferred from tribal custody to federal custody on Jan. 25, 2013.
On Aug. 23, 2013, Antonio pled guilty to the indictment and admitted he had failed to update his sex offender registration since Oct. 29, 2012.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Marshal Service and the Pueblo of Laguna Police Department, and was prosecuted by Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Glynette R. Carson McNabb.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
