ALBUQUERQUE - Audriana Veneno, 23, an enrolled member of the Jicarilla Apache Nation who resides in Dulce, N.M., pled guilty today in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to a child abuse charge.
Veneno was arrested in March 2015, on an indictment charging her with assaulting the victim, a child under the age of 16 years. The indictment alleged that Veneno committed the crime on Nov. 6, 2014, on the Jicarilla Apache Indian Reservation in Rio Arriba County, N.M.
During today’s proceedings, Veneno pled guilty to an information charging her with child abuse. In entering the guilty plea, Veneno admitted that on Nov. 6, 2014, she intentionally and negligently permitted the victim, who was under the age of 18 years, to be placed in a situation that endangered the victim’s life or health.
At sentencing, Veneno faces a maximum penalty of three years in federal prison. A sentencing hearing has yet to be scheduled.
This case was investigated by the Farmington office of the FBI and the Jicarilla Apache Tribal Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Raquel Ruiz-Velez is prosecuting the case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
