United States Attorney Cole Finegan | U.S. Department of Justice
Lovell Cassius Benallie, a 27-year-old resident of Kirtland, New Mexico, has been sentenced to 166 months in prison for assault with a dangerous weapon and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence on the Ute Mountain Ute Indian Reservation. The sentence includes three years of supervised release following his prison term.
The incident occurred on August 24, 2023, when Benallie and an associate traveled from New Mexico to the Ute Mountain Ute Casino. After gambling, Benallie approached an elderly Navajo man at the nearby Ute Mountain Ute Travel Center who was preparing to use the laundry facility. In a brief encounter lasting about eighteen seconds, Benallie demanded money from the man while pointing a 9mm gun at him. When the man questioned what money he was referring to, Benallie shot him in the leg before fleeing. The victim was subsequently airlifted to Grand Junction for medical treatment due to serious injuries.
Benallie's criminal history includes several prior felony convictions, one being aggravated assault with a dangerous weapon in Farmington, New Mexico.
“The defendant acted callously and purposelessly,” stated Acting United States Attorney for the District of Colorado Matt Kirsch. “Gun violence will not be tolerated on the Ute Mountain Ute Reservation and our office reaffirms our intention to vigorously violent crimes on our reservations.”
Special Agent in Charge Mark Michalek commented on the case: "This defendant coldly and callously shot a total stranger during an attempted robbery. Any such act of violence on the Ute Mountain Ute Reservation gets the full attention of FBI Denver," adding that assistance was provided by the Farmington Police Department.
United States District Court Judge Gordon P. Gallagher delivered the sentence on December 16, 2024.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation office in Durango alongside the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Assistant United States Attorney Jeffrey K. Graves led the prosecution.
