A federal judge has sentenced a former Fort Riley soldier to 23 years in federal prison for the sexual exploitation and abuse of a child.
While stationed at Fort Riley in 2020, Adrian Dale Tsinnijinnie, 37, used Facebook Messenger to groom and coerce a 13-year-old girl who lived in Shiprock, New Mexico, into producing sexually explicit images, according to court documents. In return, Tsinnijinnie sent the victim explicit photos and videos of himself.
In June 2021, while on leave, Tsinnijinnie traveled to Shiprock, where he sexually abused the girl, who was not publicly identified, on multiple occasions. The abuse was disclosed by the girl to her father on July 5, 2021, leading to a medical examination and police report.
There is no parole in the federal system. Upon his release from prison, Tsinnijinnie will be subject to 10 years of supervised release and must register as a sex offender.
U.S. Attorney Alexander Uballez and Raul Bujanda, special agent in charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, announced the sentence Wednesday.
The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with the assistance of the Navajo Police Department and Department of Criminal Investigation. Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew McGinley and Natasha Moghadam are prosecuting the case.
This case was brought 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.
