Phoenix, Arizona - Monday, Rodney Begay, of Tuba City, Arizona, a member of the Navajo Indian Nation, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge John J. Tuchi to 235 months in prison, followed by a lifetime term of supervised release.  Begay had previously pleaded guilty to abusive sexual contact of a minor.

The case involved the sexual abuse of 3 different girls, from 2005 to 2012, two also members of the Navajo Indian Nation-one non-native, occurring on the Navajo Reservation.

The investigation in this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Navajo Nation Department of Law Enforcement.  The prosecution was handled by Sharon K. Sexton, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Phoenix.