Rating:

0.0 (0 votes)

TUCSON - A 19-year-old member of the Pascua Yaqui tribe has been sentenced to federal prison for aggravated assault.

Michael A. Alvarez-Suarez of Tucson was sentenced on January 31st by visiting U.S. District Judge Marvin Aspen to 18 months in a federal prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release. Alvarez-Suarez pleaded guilty on Nov. 29, 2012, to one count of aggravated assault. The victim is also a member of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, where the altercation took place.

On Aug. 1, 2011, one week after turning 18, Alvarez-Suarez got into a confrontation with a man. Alvarez-Suarez pulled out a pocket knife during the encounter and stabbed the victim twice, resulting in non-life-threatening injuries. He was arrested by Pascua Yaqui police and was prosecuted through the Tribal Court, where he served a 6 month prison sentence for assault. In the meantime, he was indicted by a federal grand jury for felony aggravated assault and was taken into federal custody on Jan. 25, 2012, immediately after completing his tribal sentence.

The investigation in this case was conducted by the Pascua Yaqui Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Tucson Office.