ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)), published as received.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – 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 that Willard Haven Dedios was arraigned on Dec. 2 on a two-count indictment charging him with production of child pornography and sexual abuse of an incapacitated person. Dedios, 59, of Farmington, New Mexico, and an enrolled member of the Jicarilla Apache Tribe, will remain in custody pending trial, which is scheduled for Feb. 6, 2023.
A federal grand jury indicted Dedios on Nov. 9. According to the indictment, on May 26, Dedios allegedly engaged in and attempted to engage in sexual acts with a minor, identified as Jane Doe, while the victim was incapacitated. Dedios also allegedly photographed the victim during the sexual abuse.
An indictment is only an allegation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, Dedios faces 15 to 30 years in prison for production of child pornography and up to life in prison for sexual abuse of an incapacitated person.
The FBI and the Jicarilla Apache Police Department investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney Alexander F. Flores is prosecuting the case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and DOJ’s Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.
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