ALBUQUERQUE - Alex R. Alicea pleaded guilty today in federal court to assaulting an Indian man by threatening him with a firearm at a convenience store located in Albuquerque, N.M., on land held in trust by the United States for the 19 Indian Pueblos in New Mexico.
Alicea, 33, a non-Indian man who resides in Albuquerque, was arrested on Oct. 31, 2014, on a criminal complaint alleging that he assaulted an Oglala Sioux Indian man on Oct. 26, 2014, by brandishing a firearm at him. According to the criminal complaint, the assault occurred at the Four Winds Travel Center, which is next to the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center on land that is deemed as Indian Country in Albuquerque.
During today’s proceedings, Alicea pled guilty to a felony information charging him with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. In entering his guilty plea, Alicea admitted that on Oct. 26, 2014, he assaulted the victim by intentionally and recklessly displaying a firearm in a threatening manner.
At sentencing, Alicea faces a statutory maximum penalty of 18 months in federal prison followed by a term of supervised release to be determined by the court. A sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled.
This case was investigated by the Southern Pueblos Agency of the BIA’s Office of Justice Services and the Albuquerque Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Novaline Wilson is prosecuting this case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
