A Pine Hill man was sentenced on June 7 to 48 months in prison for sexually abusing a 7-year-old girl.
According to court documents, on May 28, 2022, Tony Jake Jr., 75, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, approached the seven-year-old victim as she played outside a church she attended with her grandmother. Jake separated the victim from other children playing nearby and put his hand down the front of her pants.
Around this time, the victim’s grandmother noticed she was not with the other children and began looking for her, eventually finding her with Jake. Shortly after, the victim’s mother picked her up from her grandmother. The victim told her mother what Jake had done to her, and her mother rushed her to the hospital.
The victim underwent an examination and later a forensic interview where she described in detail Jake’s abusive actions.
Jake admitted his conduct to an FBI agent when questioned and later pleaded guilty to one count of abusive sexual contact.
After completing his term of imprisonment, Jake will be required to serve five years of supervised release and must register as a sex offender. There is no parole in the federal system.
The Gallup Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Department of Investigation and Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Kimberly Bell is prosecuting the case.
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