Alleged crime took place on Navajo Nation
Two men from McKinley County pleaded guilty in federal court in Albuquerque, July 11 to a charge of kidnapping in Indian Country.
A grand jury returned an indictment against Preston John, 24, of Gallup, and Brandon Largo, 27, of Crownpoint, on Feb. 13. The indictment charged them with participating in a kidnapping on the Navajo Nation on Sept. 3, 2018.
According to their plea agreements, these two defendants and a co-defendant, Adrianne Cellicion, were traveling as passengers in an automobile driven by the victim. They ordered the victim to an area behind a building where Largo put a chain around the victim’s neck and choked the victim. Cellicion taped the victim’s hands together. They blindfolded the victim and restrained the victim’s hands and legs. John held the victim’s neck and took the victim’s cell phone. They also tied the victim to a tree with John’s belt before fleeing the scene.
John pleaded guilty on July 5, and Largo pleaded guilty on July 9. They are both in custody and face up to life in prison. A jury previously convicted Cellicion of kidnapping and carjacking on June 5.
The Gallup office of the FBI, the Gallup Police Department, and the Navajo Nation Department of Public Safety investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael D. Murphy and Frederick Mendenhall are prosecuting the case.