The Justice Department has reported the outcomes of a six-month initiative aimed at reducing violent crime in Indian Country, with a particular focus on cases involving missing or murdered Indigenous people. The operation, known as Operation Not Forgotten, involved the deployment of 64 FBI personnel to 10 field offices across the United States. These agents served temporary assignments ranging from 30 to 90 days and worked alongside the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and Tribal law enforcement agencies.
Attorney General Pamela Bondi stated, “These dedicated efforts by FBI agents, together with the BIA and our tribal law enforcement partners, have solved crimes, protected victims of violence, and brought much needed safety and security to communities in Indian country. We will never forget the crime victims whose cases remain unsolved, and we will continue our pursuit until justice is served.”
FBI Director Kash Patel commented on the unique challenges facing tribal communities: “One of the biggest problems tribal communities face is the vast amount of land to account for, requiring significant resources to crush violent crime. As FBI Director, I’m committed to surging personnel to these areas and working hand-in-hand with Tribal partners. Operation Not Forgotten is a major step forward in giving these communities the justice that they deserve.”
The surge was supported by an additional 36 personnel from the Bureau of Indian Affairs Missing and Murdered Unit (BIA MMU). Together, these teams contributed investigative and intelligence support for over 330 investigations. The BIA MMU also offered technical assistance using ground-penetrating radar, underwater cameras, and sonar searches.
During fiscal year 2025 alone, FBI initiatives in Indian Country led to charges against 1,260 individuals, 1,123 arrests, recovery of 304 weapons, and identification or location of 458 child victims.
United States Attorney Timothy Courchaine emphasized Arizona’s role: “The United States Attorney’s Office in Arizona continues to bring the most cases related to crimes affecting tribal members in the country. The national surge in resources brought much needed assets to tribal communities in a number of the twenty-two Indian reservations located throughout the state. Thanks to the continued work of our tribal, FBI, and BIA partners, Assistant United States Attorneys in our office will continue to bring justice for crime victims and their communities.”
Matt Schaeffer, Acting Special Agent in Charge at FBI Phoenix said: “Agents assigned to Indian Country offices have significant caseloads and most of those cases include extremely violent crimes. The surge of resources here in Arizona thanks to Operation Not Forgotten provided our agents some additional help to move cases along quicker and served as a force multiplier with the primary goal of helping victims and ensuring that justice is served.”
Throughout Operation Not Forgotten’s six-month duration from April through September 2025 in Arizona alone, approximately 154 new investigations were opened into violent crimes occurring within Indian Country. More than 73 indictments or complaints were filed during this period.
Notable prosecutions included Kevin Ronnie Tungovia’s arrest on charges related to sexual abuse of a minor and drug distribution after methamphetamine was allegedly provided to a minor during criminal acts; evidence was found during a search warrant at his residence. Richard Alex Buitimea received a ten-year prison sentence following conviction for possession of child pornography after authorities discovered more than one thousand images and multiple videos linked through his online account.
At the start of fiscal year 2025 there were about 4,300 open investigations under FBI’s Indian Country program nationwide—including over nine hundred death investigations—demonstrating persistent levels of violent crime affecting Indigenous populations.
Operation Not Forgotten builds upon earlier efforts initiated under Executive Order 13898 during President Trump’s administration which established a federal task force on missing or murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives. Over three deployments since its inception it has provided support for more than seven hundred sixty cases resulting in hundreds arrested or charged as well as services extended toward nearly two thousand victims or their families.
The operation is further supported by outreach programs placing attorneys and coordinators within U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across various regions specifically focused on preventing—and responding—to incidents involving missing or murdered Indigenous people.
