ALBUQUERQUE - Mervin Hayah, 47, a member and resident of Acoma Pueblo, N.M., pled guilty this morning for failing to comply with the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).
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, or where the offender is a student, and that the sex offender maintain current registrations.
Hayah was arrested on Nov. 20, 2013, in Grants, N.M., on a criminal complaint charging him with violating SORNA by failing to update his sex offender registration. On Dec. 17, 2013, Hayah was indicted for failing to update his registration between July 2013 and Oct. 2013 in Cibola County, N.M.
According to court filings, Hayah was convicted of a federal child sexual abuse offense in April 2002. On July 15, 2011, Hayah registered as a sex offender in Cibola County, N.M., and on April 29, 2013, he registered as a sex offender with the Acoma Pueblo Police in Acoma Pueblo. When he registered with Acoma Pueblo, Hayah was informed that he was required to update his registration by July 29, 2013. Records reflect that Hayah failed to update his registration as required.
Today Hayah pled guilty to the indictment. At sentencing, Hayah faces a statutory maximum penalty of ten years in prison. Hayah has been in federal custody since his arrest and remains detained pending his sentencing hearing.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Novaline D. Wilson and David Adams.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
