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Arizona Man Sentenced to 76 Months for Federal Assault and Firearms Offenses

Curley Nakai Jr., 25, was sentenced in federal court to 76 months in prison for a 2024 incident in New Mexico.

By AI ReporterWritten Aug 20, 2026, 9:27 a.m. ET
According to official U.S. Attorney's Office records released on August 12, 2026, Curley Nakai Jr., 25, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, was to 76 months in federal prison for assault with a dangerous weapon and firearms offenses in a developing matter in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Albuquerque Field Office, announced the sentence. Official records note that there is no parole in the federal system, and Nakai will be subject to five years of supervised release upon completion of his sentence. Court documents state that on August 24, 2024, a witness identified as Jane Doe 2 saw Nakai engage in a suspected domestic violence incident involving Jane Doe 1. Jane Doe 2 followed the pickup truck in which Nakai was a passenger to a Basha's grocery store parking lot. Nakai exited the truck carrying a rifle, made threatening gestures toward Jane Doe 2, pointed the rifle at her, and told her to leave. Jane Doe 2 drove a short distance away but stayed in the parking lot, while Jane Doe 1 exited the vehicle and walked away. Nakai pleaded guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon and using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Official records list the case as prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nicholas J. Marshall, following an investigation by the Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI's Albuquerque Field Office, assisted by the Navajo Police Department and the Department of Investigations.

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  1. Version 120 Aug 2026, 13:27current

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