ALBUQUERQUE - Alton Jay Cowboy, 48, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation who resides in Crownpoint, N.M., pled guilty today in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to violating 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.
Cowboy was charged by indictment on Feb. 27, 2018, with violating SORNA by failing to update his sex offender registration from April 4, 2017 through Dec. 27, 2017, in Bernalillo County, N.M.
During today’s proceedings, Cowboy pled guilty to the indictment without the benefit of a plea agreement. At sentencing, Cowboy faces a maximum penalty of ten years in federal prison. He will be required to register as a sex offender when he completes his prison sentence pursuant to his previous conviction. Cowboy remains in custody pending a sentencing hearing which has yet to be scheduled.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Raquel Ruiz-Velez.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
