A Zuni man recently pled guilty assault with a dangerous weapon, which resulted in serious bodily injury.
According to the plea agreement, on Sept. 18, 2022, while at the home of the victim, Nicholas Pinto, 24, and an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Zuni, started an argument with another guest at which point the victim asked him to leave. As Pinto left the residence, he told the victim that he would be “coming back.” Pinto returned to the victim's house later that day with a sawed-off shotgun and knocked on the front door.
When the victim answered, Pinto fired the shotgun at him with the intent to cause great bodily harm, striking him in the right leg. As the victim was laying on the ground, Pinto racked another shell in the shotgun, pointed the gun at him, and attempted to fire a second time, but the gun jammed. At that time, Pinto fled the scene and attempted to hide the firearm.
The victim suffered great bodily harm, including a large 12-inch gunshot wound to the right thigh. The incident occurred on the Zuni Pueblo.
Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, announced April 25 that Nicholas Pinto had pled guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon resulting in serious bodily injury and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence in Indian Country. Pinto will remain in custody pending sentencing, which has not been scheduled.
Under the terms of the agreement, Pinto faces 10 years in prison followed by up to five years of supervised release.
The Gallup Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Zuni Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Matthew J. McGinley is prosecuting the case.
