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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — August 24, 2026 — A Shiprock man has been sentenced to 27 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to a violent assault that left his former girlfriend with life-threatening injuries and required intensive-care treatment.
Darrell Joe Ben, Jr., 36, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, was sentenced following his guilty plea to assault resulting in serious bodily injury and assault resulting in substantial bodily injury of a dating partner. There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court documents cited by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico, the assault occurred on November 18, 2025, while Ben was intoxicated.
Federal prosecutors said Ben assaulted his ex-girlfriend during the incident. Officers responding to the scene detained Ben, while the victim was transported to a local hospital for emergency medical treatment.
The extent of the victim’s injuries was severe.
According to the Justice Department, she suffered a hematoma, an orbital fracture, nasal fractures, multiple broken ribs, and lung damage serious enough to require the use of a ventilator. Her condition required additional treatment, and she was transferred to an intensive care unit in Albuquerque.
Ben later pleaded guilty to both federal assault offenses. The prosecution falls within the federal government’s criminal jurisdiction in Indian Country. After completing his 27-month prison sentence, Ben will be required to serve three years of supervised release.
The sentence was announced by First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office.
The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated the case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Police Department and the Navajo Nation Department of Criminal Investigations.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth Teleky prosecuted the case.
Ben’s sentencing resolves the federal prosecution arising from the November 2025 assault. The victim survived despite suffering injuries that federal prosecutors described as life-threatening, while Ben will now serve more than two years in federal custody followed by three years of court-supervised release.
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