Arizona Man Charged with Sexual Abuse

ALBUQUERQUE - An Arizona man is facing federal charges for sexually abusing a minor over an eight-year period.

According to court documents, between July 2018 and August 2025, Earlson Yazzie, 34, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, engaged in and caused sexual contact with Jane Doe, a minor.

Yazzie is charged with nine counts of abusive sexual contact of minor and will remain on conditions of release pending trial, which has not yet been scheduled. If convicted, Yazzie faces up to life in prison.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.

The Gallup Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Mondragon is prosecuting the case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, 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 Justice.gov/PSC.

An indictment or criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.