FBI News:

ALBUQUERQUE – A Dulce man pleaded guilty to sexual abuse of a minor involving the use of force.

According to court records, on or about Sept. 13, 2023, Cisco Cruzito Pinto, 38, an enrolled member of the Jicarilla Apache Nation, engaged in sexual contact with a minor who was between the ages of 12 and 16 at the time. When the victim resisted, Pinto used force to maintain control.

Pinto will be detained pending sentencing. At sentencing, Pinto faces any term of years and up to life in prison. Upon his release from prison, Pinto will be subject to a term of supervised release of not less than five years and up to life.

U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Philip Russell, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement.

The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Jicarilla Apache Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Meg Tomlinson and Nicholas J. Marshall are prosecuting the case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.

For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit Justice.gov/PSC.