Roman B. Ortiz

Charged, not convicted. Ortiz faces a federal indictment on four counts of aggravated sexual abuse. An indictment is merely an allegation, and he is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Introduction

Roman B. Ortiz, 36, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, has been indicted by a federal grand jury on four counts of aggravated sexual abuse for alleged assaults on a child under 12 years old committed over a three-year period on the Navajo Nation . The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico announced the indictment on October 14, 2026, alleging that between June 2017 and June 2020 Ortiz engaged in or attempted to engage in sex acts with the minor at a residence located within the exterior boundaries of the Navajo Nation . Ortiz remains in federal custody pending a trial that has not yet been scheduled, and if convicted on the current charges he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years in prison per felony count .

Background Information

The indictment covers conduct alleged across three years — June 2017 to June 2020 — at a single residence inside the Navajo Nation, with the child victim under 12 years old throughout the period . Aggravated sexual abuse of a minor in Indian Country is a federal felony prosecuted by U.S. Attorney’s Offices under the Major Crimes Act, which places certain serious offenses involving Native victims on tribal land in the federal court system rather than state court . Although Ortiz is described as an Arizona man, the alleged offenses occurred at a residence within the exterior boundaries of the Navajo Nation, which spans Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah and is patrolled and investigated by the Navajo Nation Police with the FBI .

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

According to court documents, between June 2017 and June 2020, Ortiz engaged in or attempted to engage in sex acts with a minor under 12 years old, doing so at a residence located within the exterior boundaries of the Navajo Nation . The grand jury returned four counts of aggravated sexual abuse — one for each alleged assault — rather than a single consolidated count, which exposes Ortiz to consecutive mandatory minimum sentences of 30 years per count if convicted on all four . The FBI’s Gallup Resident Agency investigated the case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Police Department and the Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary C. Jones is prosecuting .

Public Reaction and Consequences

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Special Agent in Charge Justin A. Garris of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office announced the indictment . The charging release carries the standard statement that an indictment is merely an allegation and that Ortiz is presumed innocent until proven guilty — the governing posture for every allegation described on this page . With Ortiz in custody and no trial date set, the case will proceed through pretrial motion practice in the District of New Mexico before any fact is tested in front of a jury .

Current Status

Ortiz will remain in custody pending trial, which has not yet been scheduled . The exposure he faces is among the steepest on the federal docket: 30 years mandatory minimum per count if convicted, meaning a conviction on all four counts could produce a 120-year mandatory minimum before any judicial discretion applies . No plea, trial date, or pretrial ruling had been announced as of the October 14, 2026 charging announcement .

Impact on Their Career/Life

At 36, Ortiz is a federal detainee facing four mandatory-minimum counts that could keep him imprisoned for the rest of his life if convicted. The case is also a window into how child sexual abuse on tribal land is investigated — a three-year allegation period, a grand jury packet built by the FBI’s Gallup resident agency with two Navajo Nation investigative agencies, and a prosecution that will turn on the testimony of a child who was under 12 when the alleged conduct began.

Sources

• U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of New Mexico, “Arizona Man Charged with Four Sexual Assaults of a Child,” October 14, 2026 — source