New Mexico — The FBI on Friday reported new investigative progress under Operation Not Forgotten, a national initiative launched in 2023 to increase investigative, intelligence, and victim-services support for violent crime cases in Indian Country, with priority placed on crimes involving women and children.
According to the agency, the program is part of its broader violent-crime mission and reinforces federal commitments to addressing violence affecting Tribal communities, including cases involving Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP). The FBI said it continues to work closely with Tribal governments, federal partners, state and local law enforcement, and community stakeholders.
In 2025, the operation surged 64 personnel—rotating in 30- to 90-day assignments—to 10 field offices across the country, including the Albuquerque Division. Officials described it as the longest and most intensive nationwide deployment of FBI resources to Indian Country to date.
“Operation Not Forgotten deployed additional resources to New Mexico’s Indian Country, bolstering the dedicated agents and analysts striving each day to advance these cases toward resolution,” said Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Division. “Together with our local and tribal partners, we are committed to confronting crime and safeguarding the community.”
Federal prosecutors highlighted several New Mexico cases advanced during the surge:
- 2020 Murder Case Indictments: Three individuals—Austin Begay, 31; Jaymes Fage, 38; and Joshua Watkins, 40—were charged in connection with the previously unsolved shooting death of Navajo Nation tribal member Zachariah Shorty.
- Violent Assault Charges: Renaldo Descheny, 43, was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and using and carrying a firearm during a crime of violence in an alleged attack involving strangulation and striking the victim with a firearm. He remains in custody.
- Shiprock Stabbing Homicide: Armondo Paul, 25, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder after officers found a victim deceased from a neck wound at a residence in Shiprock. He remains detained pending trial.
- Kidnapping and Sexual Abuse Case: Keanu Lee, 33, was arrested on three counts of aggravated sexual abuse, one count of sexual abuse, one count of kidnapping, and one count of assault resulting in serious bodily injury.
Officials also noted recent convictions tied to cases investigated under the operation, including Marvin Albert Wauneka, 40, who received a 40-month federal prison sentence for causing a high-speed drunk-driving crash on the Navajo Nation that killed two passengers and seriously injured another.
The FBI stated it will continue Operation Not Forgotten to support Tribal communities, strengthen investigations, and advance unresolved violent-crime cases.
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