ALBUQUERQUE – Three people have been charged in federal court for their alleged roles in a attack that left a victim seriously injured.
According to court records, on September 23, 2026, Angel Smith , 23, Craig Yazzie , 36, and Manualito Begay , 19, all enrolled members of the Navajo Nation, assaulted John Doe with dumbbells and a sledgehammer and the assault resulted in serious bodily injury to Doe.
Smith , Yazzie and Begay are charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and assault resulting in serious bodily injury. They will remain in third party custody pending trial, which has not yet been scheduled. If convicted of the current charge, the defendants face up to 10 years in prison.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Special Agent in Charge Omar Arellano of the Drug Enforcement Administration made the announcement today.
The Gallup Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Police Department and the Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eliot Neal is prosecuting the case.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office — New Mexico — U.S. Department of Justice press release.